TV Envy

TV on DVD: October 9, 2007

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Comedy, Drama, Mini Series, Prime Time, Sci-Fi/Horror, CBS, The CW, Degrassi, Everybody Hates Chris, DVD

Here are some of the TV-on-DVD options you can find on the shelves this Tuesday:

• Degrassi High (The Complete Collection)
• Roots (The Complete Collection)
• Roots: The Next Generations (Four-Disc Set)
• Stargate SG-1 (The Complete Series)
• Everybody Hates Chris (Season 2)
• Family Ties (Season 2)
• Girlfriends (Season 2)
• CSI: NY (Season 3)
• Murder, She Wrote (Season 7)

Click here to see the Movies-On-DVD options for this week.
Click here to see the new titles released on HD DVD and Blu-Ray.

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This Week on TV (10/1-10/7)

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, Reality, ABC, Bravo, Cable, NBC, The CW, Degrassi, Everybody Hates Chris, Top Chef

MONDAY (10/1)

• Everybody Hates Chris (CW, 8pm):  Season premiere
• Aliens in America (CW, 8:30pm):  Series premiere
• Girlfriends (CW, 9pm):  Season premiere
• The Game (CW, 9:30pm):  Season premiere
• Dr. Steve-O (USA, 11pm):  Series premiere

TUESDAY (10/2)

• Cavemen (ABC, 8pm):  Series premiere
• Carpoolers (ABC, 8:30pm):  Series premiere
• Eureka (SciFi, 9pm):  Season finale
• Queer Eye (Bravo, 9pm):  Final season begins (I didn’t even know the show was still on).

WEDNESDAY (10/3)

• Pushing Daisies (ABC, 8pm):  Series premiere
• Top Chef (Bravo, 10pm):  Season finale
• South Park (Comedy Central, 10pm):  Season premiere
• The Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central, 10:30pm):  Season premiere

THURSDAY (10/4)

• 30 Rock (NBC, 8:30pm):  Jerry Seinfeld guest-stars in the Emmy-award winning show’s season premiere.
• Supernatural (CW, 9pm):  Season premiere
• Law and Order: Criminal Intent (USA, 10pm):  New season on a new network.
• Drawn Together (Comedy Central, 10:30pm):  Season premiere

FRIDAY (10/5)

• Degrassi (The N, 8pm EST):  Season premiere
• Friday Night Lights (NBC, 9pm):  Season premiere

SUNDAY (10/7)

• America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC, 7pm):  Season premiere
• Life is Wild (CW, 8pm):  Series premiere

(For a glance at the full Fall Programming Schedule, click here)

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The Week Ahead in TV

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Comedy, Drama, Late Night, Prime Time, ABC, Cable, NBC, The CW, America's Next Top Model, Degrassi, Everybody Hates Chris, Saturday Night Live, The CW, The Office

The CW let America’s Next Top Model kick off the new network last week—now they’re hoping you’ll stick around to see the other premieres they have to offer.  Also up, the much-hyped debut of Ugly Betty.  Will the stellar reviews have any effect on last season’s best comedy,The Office?

MONDAY
Heroes (9pm on NBC)
7th Heaven (8pm on CW)
Runaway (9pm on CW)

TUESDAY
Gilmore Girls (8pm on CW)

WEDNESDAY
One Tree Hill (9pm on CW)

THURSDAY
Ugly Betty (8pm on ABC)
Smallville (8pm on CW)
Supernatural (9pm on CW)

FRIDAY
Degrassi (9pm EST on The N)

SATURDAY
Saturday Night Live (11:30pm on NBC)

SUNDAY (10/1)
Everybody Hates Chris (7pm on CW)
All of Us (7:30pm on CW)
Girlfriends (8pm on CW)
The Game (8:30pm on CW)

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Fewer Gay Roles This Season

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, ABC, NBC, Showtime, Degrassi, Desperate Housewives, ER, The Office

The ending of Will & Grace has taken away two gay roles from our boob tubes this season—and those who care about equal representation for gays should be concerned.

Did you know that of all the regular characters on major networks last year, less than 2% of them in primetime were gay, lesbian or bisexual?  And the numbers don’t fare much better this year.  GLAAD (The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has been analyzing the numbers for several seasons now.  Of the 95 Fall shows announced so far (for ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW and MyNetworkTV), only 9 of the regular characters are gay or lesbian.  That’s down one from last year.  In other words, out of the 679 roles—only 1.3% are homosexual.

Keep in mind—this study only applies to the major networks.  Maybe that’s why cable is increasing in popularity.  We need to turn to shows like The L Word and Degrassi to see greater diversity.

Trivia question:  Of the 9 gay/lesbian roles this fall—only 3 are from returning shows.  What are those shows?  Answer:  Desperate Housewives (Andrew), ER (Carrie) and The Office (Oscar - the closeted gay).

Read More | Houston Chronicle

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The Best (and Worst) Shows of 2005-06

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Comedy, Drama, Reality, ABC, Cable, CBS, FX, FOX, HBO, NBC, 24, Amazing Race, The, American Idol, Apprentice, The - Donald, Degrassi, Lost, My Name Is Earl, Prison Break, Scrubs, The Office, The Sopranos

In a recent edition of Broadcasting & Cable, the trade magazine presented a list of the Best Shows on TV for the 2005-06 season.  The 2nd annual poll, based on the views of 111 critics, didn’t reveal many shocking choices overall...but does give much love to some underappreciated gems.  Let’s see how your choices compare:

BEST SHOW and BEST DRAMA:
Gold: Lost (ABC)—Really not much of a surprise on any of these choices.  It’s only shocking to remember that Lost is the only one of these three to be shut out of the Best Drama category for the upcoming Emmys.
Silver: 24 (FOX)
Bronze: The Sopranos (HBO)

BEST COMEDY:
Gold: The Office (NBC)
Silver: My Name is Earl (NBC)
Bronze: Scrubs (NBC)—Woo hoo!  Even if NBC doesn’t respect the comedic gem enough to give it a regular time slot (and a fall start), it’s reassuring to know that the show is still being noticed.

BEST REALITY:
Gold: American Idol (FOX)
Silver: The Amazing Race (CBS)—Race may not be able to compete against Idol in the ratings department, but it still wins in my heart.  No popularity contests here.  The prize goes to those who simply stick it out.
Bronze: Project Runway (Bravo)—Heidi Klum has it all.  Good looks, two cute kids, a sexy husband—and now a highly respected show.  I hate her.  I may enjoy watching her show..but I still hate her.

BEST NEW SHOW:
Gold: My Name is Earl (NBC)
Silver: Prison Break (FOX)
Bronze: Big Love (HBO)—Although I’m personally obsessed with polygamy-based stories, I feared the subject might be too taboo for the average audience.  Regardless of the subject matter, this show has been a hoot to watch..and it doesn’t hurt that Bill Paxton is still quite easy on the eyes.  No wonder three women want to bear his children.

WORST SHOW:
Gold: Unan1mous (FOX)
Silver: The War at Home (FOX)
Bronze: The Apprentice (NBC)—While I will have to admit that my interest in this show has waned over the past year or so, I don’t think it’s one of the worst shows out there.  But if Donald continues to make creepy remarks about the attractive females on his show, I may have to call the FCC myself.

CABLE NETWORK MORE PEOPLE SHOULD WATCH:
Gold: BBC America
Silver: FX
Bronze: The N --- Degrassi, Degrassi, Degrassi.  I’ve said it before and I will say it again.  The N is home to the best drama for teens...ever.

MOST MEMORABLE TV MOMENT:
Gold: Coverage of Hurricane Katrina
Silver: Uncle Junior shoots Tony on The Sopranos (HBO)
Bronze: Michael shoots Ana-Lucia and Libby on Lost (ABC)—I admit, I don’t watch The Sopranos so I may be a bit biased here.  But Michael shot two people.  That should definitely earn him a higher medal than Uncle Junior.  I dare say Michael even deserves the gold, but he can’t compete with Nature.

Read More | Broadcasting & Cable

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Degrassi:  High Fidelity - Part Two

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Drama, Kids, Cable, Degrassi, Features

Part Two of the season finale starts with Marco and Spinner still working on the upcoming variety show.  Marco praises Spin for the touching ceremony with Darcy he had just witnessed the night before, only to be surprised by the news of their breakup.  Even more shocking was hearing Spinner admit to kissing someone else that same night.  At that precise moment, Paige walks into the room causing Spinner to get all flustered and stumble onto the floor.  Marco easily figures out that Paige was Spin’s mystery woman.  Cue Darcy (having a Sandy from Grease moment) to walk into the gym and see her ex still lying on the ground.  Instead of kicking him while he is down, she actually begs him to take her back—right before she plants a passionate kiss on him in public.  She apologizes for being a freak and asks him to consider her.

Click to continue reading Degrassi:  High Fidelity - Part Two

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Degrassi: High Fidelity

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Drama, Kids, Cable, Degrassi

As another school year winds down at Degrassi, the students are forced to face their upcoming summers—and their futures together.

Part One of the season finale begins with Darcy sitting outside The Dot waiting for Spinner.  When he finishes his shift, Darcy tells him about her new summer counselor position. She then jokes that Spinner will probably be hanging out with other girls while she is gone.  Spinner tries to reassure Darcy of his devotion and kisses her aggressively.  She backs off reminding him that they vowed to remain virgins until marriage. 

Click to continue reading Degrassi: High Fidelity

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Do Your Homework Before Another Year at Degrassi

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Cable, Degrassi, Features

Time to get bed early kids—a a new school year at Degrassi starts again this Friday, April 7th.  In case you were forgot what your fellow classmates were up to before the long winter break, here’s a quick reminder:

• Spinner was still trying to redeem himself after Jimmy Brooks was shot.  He recently started dating a new girl, Darcy, who has very strong religious beliefs.
• JT and Liberty were struggling with her unplanned pregnancy
• Manny was trying to keep her head high after her nude video was leaked on the internet by Peter
• Emma started having a flirtatious relationship with Peter behind Manny’s back
• Ellie and Manny were fighting for Craig’s attention.  Manny appeared to have won it in the end.
• the kids of Degrassi just finished participating in a movie directed by Kevin Smith

BUT THERE IS A SO MUCH MORE!!!  If you visit the Degrassi website, you will discover that a lot more has transpired during the break.  There you can find nine Degrassi minis.  These minis (about 2 minutes long each) are basically like snippets of a regular episode.  What is unclear is whether or not you will have needed to watch these minis before the new season begins.  Will those without access to a computer be missing a huge chunk of the characters’ storylines??  In case you don’t have the time to watch the minis for yourselves, study up on the following notes to make sure you’re ready for your return to school.

Click to continue reading Do Your Homework Before Another Year at Degrassi

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Kevin Smith Loves Degrassi And Veronica Mars

Posted by Rhys Alexander
Categories: Degrassi, Talent

Kevin Smith, writer and director of such zany, off-color flicks as Clerks and Mallrats, has a secret addiction: television. And it’s not to the shows you may think. Understandably, he loves My Name Is Earl, and was responsible for most of Jason Lee’s employment before the actor was cast as Earl. But did you know Smith also loves Degrassi: The Next Generation so much, he begged to direct an episode? And he’s such a fan of Veronica Mars that he finagled a cameo on the show? Isn’t it wonderful how television can bring out all sides in people?

Although he’s a film guy, television seems to be Smith’s not-so-secret weakness. As fans know, the erstwhile Silent Bob is such devotee of “Degrassi: The Next Generation” that he contact the producers about possibly directing an episode. Told that his absence of Canadian citizenship would keep him from going behind the camera, he gladly agreed to a multi-episode acting gig playing himself. A similar sense of appreciation led Smith to a cameo on “Veronica Mars.”

Read More | Zap2it

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Degrassi:  Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Cable, Degrassi, Features

Since I have been engrossed with countless hours of Degrassi – old school and new – I don’t know if I should be lecturing anyone about getting a grasp on reality.  But since it’s so easy for me to be judgmental from the other side of my boob tube, I’m going to comment away.

Click to continue reading Degrassi:  Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

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