December 2008 Archives

I'll be taking some time off for the holidays, but I wanted to leave you all with my annual list of my favorite TV shows of the year.

 

They may not be the critical favorites or the ratings grabbers but they are the shows I love and just can't miss. After all this is MY list!

 

You'll notice it differs vastly from last year's list, as only one show continued to be one my favorites list this year...

#10 -- "I feel like the blue team should be frolicking in the Garden of Eden but that stupid backstabbing bitch bit the apple and f****d it all up for us!"
-- NBC's "The Biggest Loser"
 
The show's most volatile contestant, Vicky Vilcan, to the cameras after fellow blue team member Amy C. went against the team and voted Vicky's husband Brady out of the competition.
 
# 9 -- "Close your legs to married men, Kim! Close your legs to married men! Close your legs to married men!"
-- Bravo's "The Real Housewives Of Atlanta"
 
Housewife Nene's crazy rant to would-be country star Kim, after she revealed her on-again/off-again mystery man, known on the show as "Big Papa," wasn't exactly single.
 
#8 -- "Excuse me a second. Before we get started, I wanted to tell the stagehands something. Hey, guys? Guys, leave those boxes. I'm not going anywhere!"
--  NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno"
 
Jay Leno in his nightly monologue on the day it was announced he will be staying with NBC for a new 10 PM show, after his "Tonight Show" run ends in 2011.
 

Check out the rest of the list...

#10 -- "Sugar, you are an unemployed, uneducated leech on society and the only thing I would vote to give you is a handful of anti-depressants so that no one else has to be subjected to your constant crying anymore. And maybe if you got some then it would seem a little more sincere when you are crying about your dead father."
-- CBS's "Survivor: Gabon"
 
"Survivor" contestant Corrine during the show's finale to final four contestant Jessica "Sugar" Kiper. Host Jeff Probst called it the meanest thing ever said on "Survivor" in seventeen seasons (Clearly he forgot about Sue Hawk's "rat and snakes" rant against Richard and Kelly in season one!).
 
#9 -- "Boo-yaaaaah!!!!!"
-- Showtime's "Californication"
 
Hank Moody's (David Duchovny) fist pumping reaction to seeing Sonja's baby when it's born mulatto, confirming that he is not, in fact, the father.  
 
#8 -- "I cannot have a black one. I can't have an Asian one. I can't have a fat butt girl. I just can't see that white and black thing right now because of the kids. No Jewish girls. No way. I cannot stand them. I'm sorry but I can't handle them. It has to be a white girl."
-- NBC's "Momma's Boys" (Pictured Above)
 
Mrs. B's (single guy Jojo's mom) shocking and hateful rant about the girls she does not want her son to date on Ryan Seacrest's dreadful new reality show.
 
#7 -- "I possess the DNA of Leonard Nimoy!"
-- CBS's "The Big Bang Theory"
 
Sheldon Cooper's overjoyed reaction to neighbor Penny's Christmas gift of a dirty cloth napkin used by Leonard Nimoy and autographed for Sheldon.
 
#6 -- "What do you want? 'This is CNN' or 'Luke, I am your father?'"
-- CBS's "Two and A Half Men"
 
James Earl Jones to Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) who asks him to record a message for his answering machine at the fake funeral Charlie imagines for himself in a dream sequence.
  
 
The rest.... After The Jump!

# 10 - "Desperate Housewives" Fast Forwards Five Years

 

It could have been a total disaster but the show's creator, Marc Cherry, and his decision to fast forward the show five years into the future was a smart one. Now Gabrielle Solis is a harried mother of two young daughters, Bree Hodge is a successful caterer and cook book author, Edie Britt is married to a psycho, Susan Mayer is divorced from plumber Mike after a car accident and Lynnette is dealing with troubled teenage twins. It also allows them to flashback through those five years to see what had happened. Maybe Marc watched a little too much "Lost"!

 

# 9 - "30 Rock's" Huge Guest Stars

This show doesn't need stunt casting to help with the comedy, only with the ratings - and they landed two of the biggest stars around -- Jennifer Aniston and Oprah Winfrey -- to help kick off their second season. And the ratings spiked (finally)!

 

# 8 - Dylan is Kelly's Baby Daddy

"90210," The CW remake of "Beverly Hills, 90210" hasn't exactly been setting the TV sets on fire. It lacks the same zing as the old series (Oh, how we miss Aaron Spelling's genius!) but it did produce one major water cooler moment this year. When old cast member Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) -- who is now West Beverly High's guidance counselor -- finally clued us in via best bud Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty, who pops in every now and again to the show) that her four-year-old son, Sammy, is the offspring of Dylan McKay and not Brandon Walsh (her two famous past loves).

 

 

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo! That was my initial internal reaction to Simon Cowell telling me this morning about "American Idol, "I think this show could continue another 10, 20 years to be honest with you."
 
I mean don't get me wrong -- I like "American Idol." But the thought of it still being around and me having to cover every nook and cranny of it for two more decades is quite frightening. No offense bosses. I mean who is with me here? Does this primetime show have the staying power of a variety show like CBS's "The Ed Sullivan Show" which ran for 23 years from 1948 to 1971?
 
If you think about it, FOX doesn't give up shows easily. Both "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted" have been around since 1989! "The Simpsons" is still going after what will be 20 years next year too. But those are animated cartoons who never age. Can you imagine a 68--year-old Simon still spewing off insults like "dreadful" and "absolutely horrific" to teenagers and twenty-somethings?

Although...hmmm... if I get my act together and have a kid in the next four years, my 16-year old child prodigy could be the winner of "American Idol" season 28! I promise to not be a stage mom. 

ABC has finally revealed the 25 women vying for single dad Jason Mesnick's love on the new season of "The Bachelor." Among them are four single mothers!

 

Stacia, 24, a charity accountant from Orem, Utah, who has a three-year-old daughter and five-year-old son. Stephanie, 34, a medical marketing representative from Huntsville, Alabama who has a four-year-old daughter. Treasure, 28, a nurse practitioner from Salt Lake City, Utah who has a six-year-old daughter. Megan, 25, a lacrosse coach from Sewickley, PA who has a one-year-old son.

 

In a conference call with reporters this morning Jason told me this fact had no bearing on his decision as to whom he felt connected.

 

"Honestly, it doesn't make a difference either way. I mean, I think that I would hope people would view me as a person not as a single dad. So, to me, you know going into it I had no expectations really as to who was going to be there. But it didn't surprise me that there were single mothers. It didn't make me think any one way or the other whether they were a mom or not."

 

In a case of what goes around comes around, Vicky Vilcan was not The Biggest Loser last night! In what could be a perfect ending she missed beating out Ed by just one pound. However, in the end it was Michelle Aguilar who then beat Ed's weight loss percentage and pulled off the win last night.

 

And the audience could not have been happier. Inside the live finale the crowd was on its feet for Michelle as she did her final weigh in (while Vicky got a lukewarm reception from much of the crowd, other than from her family).

 

The irony of the whole night was that Ed's wife, Heba, ultimately would have won the whole show, if his plea for America to vote for his wife to stay in the competition and compete in the top three hadn't been ignored. A whopping 84 percent ignored his request and voted him into the top three - sending a clear message that Vicky and Heba's game playing was uncool. Heba was able to win the $100,000 prize though for being the eliminated contestant to lose the most weight with her 46.94 percent weight loss, a number that easily would have beat Michelle's 45.25 percent and scored her the $250,000 prize.

 

It's the return of the Wild Card round for Season Eight of "American Idol." Goodbye Top 24. Hello top 36! More contestants will get the chance to shine on live television for audience votes  - but it may not be a good thing for the contestants. The reason is that the way it will shake out only three contestants will make it through to the Top 12 each week, when the three live performance shows kick off Tuesday, February 17. In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, executive producer Ken Warwick spelled out exactly how this new format will work, telling reporters that after America votes, "From each week you will get the top boy, the top girl and the next highest vote through."

 

The remaining 27 contestants will then be eligible to compete in a wild card show set to air on Thursday, March 5. The fourth highest vote getter from each of the three performance shows will have a spot for sure and the judges will decide the rest, according to Ken, 

 

"Judges can add to it anybody they like that they thought they knew was better and just off form or maybe they picked the wrong side. Whatever reason they choose they can make that fourth show up probably to about nine or ten people and then they will decide who the final three will be."

#10 -- "It's our wedding night."

-- ABC's "Boston Legal"

 

The final line uttered by Denny Crane (William Shatner) in the show's series finale to Alan Shore (James Spader), whom he married for financial reasons, as they dance a final dance together in the law firm.

 

#9 -- "If a guy has got a scar he's got a Robin. And if he's missing teeth I'm missing my pants."

-- CBS's "How I Met Your Mother"

 

Robin Scherbatsky revealing to Marshall, Lily, Barney and Ted that she has a thing for guys who get into fights.

 

#8 -- "This is my last show and it has been an amazing experience to be here. Being able to do over 140 shows with my friends and family has been a dream come true."

-- NBC's "Saturday Night Live"

 

Amy Poehler signs off for the last time during "Weekend Update" after eight years on the show.

If you just can't wait until "Dancing With The Stars" returns in March then ohhh, do I have got something for you?! The "Dancing With The Stars" tour kicks off Wednesday, December 17 in San Diego. The two-month tour will cover 37 cities and feature Lance Bass, Maurice Green and Toni Braxton from season seven and Marlee Matlin from season six. They'll be joined on the tour by professional dancers Karina Smirnoff, Cheryl Burke, Lacey Schwimmer, Derek Hough, Mark Ballas, Kym Johnson, Edyta Sliwinska, Alec Mazo, Fabian Sanchez and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (who will be choreographing this year's tour).

 

I had a chance to check out tour rehearsals this week to see how the other dancers are handling Maksim as "the boss." I jokingly asked Cheryl Burke if he was being a Russian tyrant - because on "Dancing" it looks like he can be pretty tough on his celebrity partners.

 

I love the Golden Globes. First, because its the best red carpet of the year. It's got superstar gridlock right in front of your eyes. No matter how many years I have been in this business I still get giddy when the first A-lister arrives. Since the whole shindig got sidelined last year due to the writers' strike, it's going to be a blast. Second, I love it because most of the time the nominations make little sense (and it gives me something to write about every year).

 

Unless, of course, you are foreign, because after all it is the Hollywood FOREIGN Press Association who does the voting. When it comes to film they love two things: Foreign actors and big marquee worldwide box office stars (Brad! Angie! Tom!) Actually make that three things. They love musicals too! 

 

Lately, when it comes to TV they also seem to love cable while shunning the big four networks. Only one Best Television Series Drama nominee comes from NBC, ABC, FOX or CBS - "House" - headlined by... you guessed it - a foreign guy, British actor Hugh Laurie. I'm all for the new batch of cable shows which for the most part are grittier, edgier and/or funnier than broadcast television. Of course, this is because they can be. It's cable where the rules about language, violence and nudity are not as strict - especially on the pay cable networks where all bets are off.

 

So, I have to say I'm just a tad bit bitter about "The Bachelor" these days for personal reasons I won't get into. So, rather than being giddy with anticipation about the return of a show I love to hate (but secretly love) - now, I'm going to feel like its a show I have to watch instead of actually want to watch. Although, I have a feeling that once I watch that first episode on January 5, I'll probably be sucked right back in and throw my personal bitterness out the window.

 

This morning ABC released first details about what we can expect this season with 32-year-old single dad Jason Mesnick in the driver's seat. In an interview with People, Jason revealed he's in love and engaged. I'm not exactly sure why ABC wanted to spill the beans about the engagement before the show started airing. Maybe they thought it would legitimize the show with the worst track record ever when it comes to finding lasting love.

 

Now, technically this makes proposal number four for Jason. He was engaged to someone else once, married once, tried to pop the question to DeAnna Pappas on "The Bachelorette" and now this new girl. Maybe the fourth time will be the charm. He's been engaged more times than I have had serious relationships. I'm technically zero for zero on engagements. There was that one time in Hawaii on a second date with someone I met on a business trip but that doesn't really count - although it did make for a great story that my former boss Ryan Seacrest got to tell on his radio show. Ah, but I digress, back to Jason's journey.

I still have a few movies to see before I get to writing up my list of the Best Movies of 2008, but when I do, there's no question what's gonna be perched at the tippy-top:  "WALL*E"!

The fact is, not only is "WALL*E" my favorite movie of 2008, but I can honestly say that it's one of the best movies of this DECADE (so far, of course).

Talk about a movie that's loaded with subtext, it's far and away Disney/Pixar's most daring and imaginative film yet -- and that says a lot for the filmmakers behind "Finding Nemo," "Ratatouille" and the "Toy Story" features.

Sure kids will love it, since the "A" story -- about love story between two robots -- is hard to resist.  But grown-ups will get more out of it, especially if they peel away the layers to absorb the existential, environmental and post-apocalyptic issues at hand.

That's why I was so very glad when the Los Angeles Film Critics Association named it Best Picture of 2008. That's the first time in the organization's 33-year history that an animated film won the top prize.

"Dancing With the Stars" professional dancer Edyta Sliwinska has landed a guest starring role on "CSI: New York" she revealed to me yesterday during rehearsals for the "Dancing with the Stars" tour.

 

"I'm playing a dance teacher and I'm one of the suspects." 

 

This role on the CBS drama will be Edyta's first major acting gig. "I am suspected to be a murderer to kill a guy and chop him into pieces."

 

Both Edyta and her dancer husband, Alec Mazo, have been working on their acting careers during downtime from the show. 

McSteamy Stays Put --
 
There has been lots of gossip and speculation recently about "Grey's Anatomy" and the drama going on behind the scenes. Whose airtime has been cut because they are acting like a pain in the neck? Is Katherine Heigl being axed from the show? Has the show jumped the shark with the Izzy and deceased Denny storyline? Well, one thing I can tell you for sure is that Eric Dane, who plays hot plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Sloan (although most of us just know him as McSteamy. I actually had to look up his character's real name on IMDB!) is not going anywhere. He told Nancy O'Dell he has no plans to leave the show saying, "Absolutely, as long as they have me. I think its a great show. It's like a blessing. This job has been so great to me. I love it."
 
McSteamy just recently embarked on a possible love match with intern Lexie Grey - a relationship that may have him changing his womanizing ways. "I think we are still on that road. I know that the candy stripers or the nurses have formed a union or have united against me and I think I've exhausted every other option and last season the threesome fell through. So, I'm a one woman guy."
 
A Walker Throwdown --
 
So, last week I introduced you to Luke Grimes, the Robert Pattinson look-a-like who will play Ryan Lafferty, the new Walker family sibling on ABC's "Brothers & Sister" - the result of the late William Walker's affair with yet another woman. This week, I've got Justin's (Dave Annable) take on his new sibling.

#10 -- "There's only one way down Vicky!"

-- NBC's "The Biggest Loser"

 

Host Alison Sweeney to controversial blue team contestant "evil" Vicky who refuses to make the twelve-foot drop into the pool during a challenge.

 

#9 -- "You violated the laws of physics Mr. Eastwick, and mother nature's a bitch"

-- FOX's "Fringe"

 

Joshua Jackson speaking with Eastwick, while being interrogated about walking through walls.

 

#8 -- "By the way, I take my breakfast in bed."

-- CW's "Gossip Girl"

 

Chuck Bass to Blair's maid, Dorota, after they make a bet that if Blair likes the date he chooses for her to go to the Snowflake Ball, he gets Dorota for a month.

Earlier today, I posted an article for our AccessHollywood.com's music column, "On The Download," asking you to share your thoughts on the best remixed songs of the 2nd half of 2009.

You can read that article here.

So, do you agree with my picks? Or do you prefer the Grammy nominations for electronic and remixed music which just came out tonight?

Or maybe you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about and will just glaze over this post?

Share your thoughts, below (or by clicking on the headline above).

So, last night I'm watching "The Biggest Loser" as blue team member Vicky - the one everyone has come to hate - has a moment of vulnerability. During a water challenge she has a freak out about jumping the 15 feet into the pool below her. Of course, I wasn't there, but it really didn't seem like that far of a plunge. I also need to point out that she wasn't afraid of heights or swimming in any other challenges.

 

So, what was her problem? Possibly just another cog in her game play plan to put all the attention on her? Either way it looks like her goose could be sunk now that America gets to decide who will take the third spot in the finale. It's down to Michelle, Ed, Heba and Vicky. If Vicky falls below the yellow line it's, "So long evil one!" No one other than maybe her family will vote her through.

 

But is she really all that bad? Are the producers just portraying Vicky to be so nasty through creative editing? That was the question I posed to eliminated contestant Renee this morning. I think her answers about Vicky tell us everything we need to know.

 

Everyone is talking about Vicky right now. It was the front page of Yahoo yesterday - "Evil Vicky." Is she getting a bad rap are we editing little portions of all the mean things she has done?

She is just hardcore. There is no doubt; I guess I will put it that way. I don't think anybody twisted her to say the things she has actually said about people. I was shocked by some of the things she said because we don't see the interviews until we see the TV show ourselves. 

 

It was interesting that she was so vulnerable last night because that's the first time in all of the show that they showed her like that. Was that a one-time thing?

It was. It was a one-time deal. That was the only time in 93 days that we had been there that she had done that.

 

How badly do you want Michelle [your daughter] to win this whole thing?

I think Michelle is going to win. There is just kind of like no doubt in my mind. I think she has just got it. I think that she has just proved herself. She has shown that she has not only just worked hard to be where she is at, but, you know, she is a great person - period. And I think she deserves to win. I am just so excited for her. She looks amazing. She feels better than she has ever felt and she is just strong and confident right now.

 

Michelle won the challenge last night and two weeks at Fitness Ridge Resort and Spa. Will you talk her into taking you with her.

Of course! Actually we were debating it last night. I was giving her all the good reasons why it should be me and her going there. She said it might be a great Christmas present.

 

 

I have been to Fitness Ridge in St. George, Utah. It's a fantastic place and it's a great way to kick start your way to being your own Biggest Loser. Check out my blog about it here!

The Thanksgviving holiday had lots of repeats on the air which made this a difficult week to find fun quotes. Plus, I was off for the holiday... but better later than never!

 

#10 - "Oh man! Did you switch your status before she did? Speaking as an expert way to look needy."
-- CBS's "Big Bang Theory"
 
Howard Wolowitz to Leonard Hofstadter after Penny notices Leonard's Facebook status has been updated to "in a relationship" despite that fact that he has only been dating his new girl Stephanie for two weeks.
 
#9 -- "Oh and as far as your sleeping arrangements go. Well, you don't have to go home but you have got to get the hell up out of here."
-- USA's "Psych"
 
Gus's dad to Shawn Spencer at Christmas dinner (where he had been invited to spend the evening with the family) after he finds out Shawn has been secretly fooling around with his daughter behind the family (and his best friends) back.