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<title>That Warm Glow</title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/</link>
<description><![CDATA[As a kid, Mike Murphy wanted to jump cars and shoot dynamite arrows like on &quot;The Dukes of Hazzard.&quot; Now that he&apos;s a grown-up, he&apos;d be satisfied with running &quot;The Amazing Race.&quot; Click on over for the musings, rants and occasional bits of useful news from a certified TV addict. E-mail your TV questions to mike[dot]murphy[at]pressdemocrat.com.]]></description>
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<title>That Warm Glow</title> 
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Change of address]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2393668</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
We're switching over to a new blogging system this week, so please be patient if you notice posts, links and videos suddenly disappearing or not working. I'm also not posting much, doing a little behind-the-scenes housecleaning instead. But the dust is starting to settle, and things should be back to normal in a few days. If you have this blog bookmarked or on an RSS feed, you'll want to update the address -- <a href="http://tv.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/"><b>tv.blogs.pressdemocrat.com</b></a>. See ya over there.
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2393668</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:01:25 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Net nuggets: 'Entourage,' 'Reaper,' 'Scrubs' and more]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392858</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<p>Stuff I found while reading the entire Internet. I was hoping for 10 items, but man, it's bleak out there.</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p>Who would've thought that I'd be a trend-setter? A couple of weeks after I quit a certain talentless couple cold turkey, E! Online declares itself a <a href="http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b130535_prattfall_you_decidedmdashersquos.html">S----- -free site</a> (I can't even mention their name). Entertainment Weekly pretty much declared the same last week. Could common sense and taste actually be winning this battle?</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p align="center" /><p><object width="340" height="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9976U52Zaww&hl=en&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="340" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9976U52Zaww&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" /></object></p><p /><p>A new trailer is up for the upcoming sixth season of <b>&quot;Entourage.&quot;</b> Nice to see Turtle in the limelight, but where's Drama? Let's hope this season doesn't suck as much as the last one.</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p>One more reason to skip the new season of <b>&quot;Heroes&quot;</b> -- Brian Fuller (Season 1 of &quot;Heroes&quot; and &quot;Pushing Daisies&quot;) has <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/06/heroes-fullers-escape-masis-defenders-and-more.html">left the show</a> again. So much for talk of its creative resurgence.</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p><b>&quot;Nip/Tuck&quot; </b>just finished shooting <a href="http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/06/niptuck-quietly-wraps-series-up-finale-likely-to-air-in-2011-.html">its final season</a>. I had literally forgotten this show was still around.</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p>Triumph the Insult Comic Dog made his <b>&quot;Tonight Show&quot;</b> <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/triumph-comes-to-conans-tonight-show/">debut Friday</a>, and was in fine form interviewing the great unwashed at Bonaroo.</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p>The stars of <b>&quot;Reaper&quot;</b> say they <a href="http://www.bullz-eye.com/television/interviews/2009/harrison_labine.htm">weren't exactly satisfied</a> by last season. Especially Sock's lusting-after-his-stepsister part. And they don't hold out much hope for a third season.</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p>The stars of <b>&quot;NYC Prep,&quot;</b> debuting tonight, called <a href="http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/06/23/bravos_nyc_prep_is_all_too_real/">easy to hate, easy to pity</a>. I'll probably watch, just to see the carnage.</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p>A <a href="http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2009/06/trailer-for-hbos-the-pacific.html">new trailer</a> for HBO's &quot;Band of Brothers&quot; sequel, <b>&quot;The Pacific&quot;</b> is up. Looks awesome. Though a lot like &quot;The Thin Red Line.&quot;</p><p align="center">-------------------------------------------</p><p>This is interesting -- <b>&quot;Scrubs&quot; </b>is getting <a href="http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/06/scrubs-moving-from-hospital-to-med-school.html">a complete reboot</a> next season. Good idea, having a new cast at the same hospital would have been weird. Changing it up can only help.</p><p /><p /><p />
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392858</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:58:46 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392858</guid>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Buffy vs. Edward Cullen]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392473</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<p>Speaking of TV series that I miss . . . .</p><p>Are you as sick as I am of all this neverending &quot;Twilight&quot; hoopla? Especially knowing that such fey and twee vampires would stand no chance against, say, a certain kick-ass vampire slayer named Buffy? How sweet would it be to see Buffy put Mopey McPasty in his place?</p><p>Well, wonder no more. Here's a very cool, very well-done video I stumbled across, a mashup of <b>&quot;Buffy the Vampire Slayer&quot;</b> and &quot;Twilight.&quot; Kudos to Rebellious Pixels. Edward Cullen fans beware: Buffy has little tolerance for creepy stalkers.</p><p><embed width="340" height="280" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGK5kyJ53Q" /></p>
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392473</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:00:12 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Sneak peek at 'BSG' movie]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392469</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<p>A new trailer for the upcoming 2-hour <b>"Battlestar Galactica"</b> movie, <b>"The Plan,"</b> was released over the weekend. Until I watched it, I had almost forgotten how much I loved that series. Now I'm itching for fall to come, because "The Plan" looks seriously cool. The Sci Fi Network movie takes place early in the Season 1 storyline, after the Cylon attack on the human planets. Looks like we'll get some behind-the-scenes explanation into Boomer's attempted assassination of Adama and the destruction of the Olympic Carrier, the mysterious civilian ship the Galactica controversially blew up. And Tigh's back, with both of his eyes!</p><p>Can't . . . . frakkin. . . . wait.</p><p><object width="340" height="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QYV7WeaDP_8&hl=en&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="340" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QYV7WeaDP_8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" /></object></p>
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392469</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:49:40 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2392469</guid>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Best, worst of past week]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2391777</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<p>
An (extra-specific) look back at the best and worst in the past week of TV, as well as a sneak peek at what's to come.</p><p align="baseline"><b>Highlights</b></p><p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139345&filename=550049-C489CB63-E8A7-473B-94DA-098DCF3949F1.jpg" /></p><p><b>1. Jay Karnes on &quot;Burn Notice.&quot;</b>
For years Karnes played the brilliant but socially awkward Detective
Dutch Wagenbach on &quot;The Shield.&quot; But who knew he could be such a great
bad guy? He was terrifically creepy as a stalker ATF agent in last
fall's &quot;Sons of Anarchy,&quot; and last week had a guest role as one the most formidable bad guys to
ever go up against Michael Weston. Great action storylines require a
great villain, and Karnes' ruthless arms dealer was all that and more,
contributing to one of the best episodes in &quot;Burn Notice's&quot; three
seasons. Here's hoping he makes a return appearance at some point.<br />
</p><p align="baseline"><b>2. Wylie Dufresne on &quot;Top Chef Masters.&quot; </b>Who knew the
master of molecular gastronomy had such a potty mouth? His boatload of
F-bombs after an unsatisfactory Quickfire Challenge had me cracking up.
He was exceptionally good-natured overall, but in the heat of the
moment, the guy proved to be a dead-serious competitor. I like to see
that.</p><p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139344&filename=550049-404EE9E1-89D5-4C80-A61F-F5393CA12C7F.jpg" /></p><p><b>3. Garrity's song and dance on &quot;Rescue Me.&quot;</b> As cancer-ridden dim
bulb Garrity was getting prepped for surgery, he broke into a
hallucinatory Broadway-esque musical number, reminiscent of something
out of &quot;The Big Lebowski.&quot; Absolutely bizarre, absolutely out of
nowhere, and absolutely hilarious. Especially when Garrity's annoying
brother (who I still think of as Freddie Cork from &quot;Brotherhood&quot;)
interrupted the whole thing. And yes, that was really Stephen Pasquale
singing. He's actually just released a jazz album. Huh.</p><p><b>Lowlights</b></p><p><b>1. Artie Lange on &quot;Joe Buck Live.&quot;</b>
Mix a filthy-mouthed comedian who's a favorite of Howard Stern and the
dullest sportscaster in America together on live TV and what do you
get? A disaster. Otherwise known as the debut episode of HBO's sports
talk show &quot;Joe Buck Live.&quot; The second episode airs in three months.
Yeah, don't ask why.<br />
</p><p><b>2. Brett on &quot;Next Food Network Star.&quot; </b>It was nice to see
this overblown, egotistical blabbermouth get the boot, especially after
he threw a fellow competitor under the bus after offering to help her.
Lucky for us the guy had no composure under pressure. It's becoming pretty obvious that Jamika is going to win. Time to end the misery for the other poor slobs (really, Debbie is the only other one with a chance).</p><p><object width="340" height="280"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2hqkCWyd1go&hl=en&fs=1&" name="movie" /><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen" /><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess" /><embed width="340" height="280" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2hqkCWyd1go&hl=en&fs=1&" /></object></p><p><b>3. The Dead Weather on &quot;The Tonight Show.&quot; </b>This is more of a musical lowlight than a TV lowlight. I don't get it -- I love Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs), I love Alison Mosshart (The Kills). Put 'em together, and shouldn't you have the rockingest band ever? But this was their second song I've heard and been hugely unimpressed with. Too bad.<b><br /> </b></p><p><b>Looking forward to . . .</b></p><p><b>1. &quot;Better Off Ted&quot; (9:30 p.m. Wednesday, ABC).</b> Thank God, a quality comedy airing during the summer. Look for fresh episodes over the next six weeks.</p><p><b>2. &quot;Daily Show&quot; (11 p.m. Mon-Thurs, Comedy Central).</b> OK, <i>that's</i> when Jason Jones' segments filmed in Iran will air. I guess last Wednesday night was just a preview. Should be good. Let's just hope there's not a bloodbath in the streets of Tehran before then. (Or really, after then too.) I read in an interview that Jones figures two-thirds of the people they interviewed have been arrested in the past week. Yikes. </p><p><b>3. &quot;NYC Prep&quot; (10 p.m. Tuesday, Bravo).</b> They're billing it as the real-life &quot;Gossip Girl&quot; (dream on, Bravo), but it looks more like a &quot;Real Housewives&quot; ripoff about horrible, entitled teenagers. Morbid curiosity draws me to it. Besides, I need something for next week's Lowlights.<br />
</p><p>
</p><p /><p /><p /><p />
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2391777</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:07:00 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
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<title><![CDATA[I like seeing people go 'splat']]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2391601</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<p>Apparently I have the sense of humor of an 8-year-old.</p><p>That might not come as a big surprise, but it dawned on me while talking about <b>&quot;Wipeout&quot;</b> (8 p.m. Wednesdays, ABC) with a co-worker yesterday. He was describing how it made his 8-year-old son laugh for an hour straight and I was like, &quot;Hey, me too!&quot; The game show is built entirely around faceplants, punches to the groin and people going splat. And you know what? That makes me laugh. A lot.</p><p>Now I may prefer the original, Spike's &quot;Most Extreme Elimination Challenge,&quot; an old Japanese game show that's been dubbed into ridiculous (and slightly more risque) English, but &quot;Wipeout&quot; still brings the laughs. Sure, the contestants are annoying caricatures and the commentary is intentionally awful and hackneyed, but come on, tell me the sight of someone bouncing off a giant ball into a pool of mud doesn't give you a chuckle. It's perfect turn-off-the-brain entertainment.</p><p>And here's a secret from a professional TV blogger -- it's even funnier after a couple of beers. (Wine would work too, but that's a little bit too classy for this show. Beer is just lowbrow enough.)</p><p /><p><object width="340" height="280"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FOYkhF52dUo&hl=en&fs=1&" name="movie" /><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen" /><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess" /><embed width="340" height="280" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FOYkhF52dUo&hl=en&fs=1&" /></object>

And just for bonus kicks, here are some &quot;MXC&quot; highlights:
</p><div><object width="340" height="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x2fnkd_mxc-top-25-most-painful-elimination_fun&related=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed width="340" height="280" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x2fnkd_mxc-top-25-most-painful-elimination_fun&related=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2fnkd_mxc-top-25-most-painful-elimination_fun">MXC - Top 25 Most Painful Eliminations</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/AntiFlag607">AntiFlag607</a>. - <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/us/channel/fun">See more comedy videos.</a></i></div>
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2391601</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:45:22 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2391601</guid>
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<title><![CDATA['Daily Show' goes to Iran]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2391113</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<p>With Iran in chaos after a bitterly divisive election and accusations of fraud (see, they're not so different from us after all), <b>&quot;The Daily Show&quot;</b> has fast-tracked a series of reports from &quot;correspondent&quot; Jason Jones filmed in Iran last month.</p><p>The series was supposed to start next week, but the newsiness of the situation in Iran forced the segments to begin last night. Part 2 will air tonight (11 p.m., Comedy Central), and the rest next week. (UPDATE: Part 2 didn't air on Thursday after all; maybe they're saving the rest for next week. Stay tuned . . .)</p><p>Jones and his team were granted journalists' visas and took to the streets in search of evidence of evilness among Iranians. And what he found was shocking: nice, friendly people with good senses of humor. In Iran! Can you believe it?</p><p> The trip was made before the election, but the reports provide a good backdrop to the events going on today. The series is all about breaking stereotypes, and it's pretty eye-opening, considering how little most Americans know about life in Iran. It's well worth checking out.</p><p>Here's last night's first installment:</p><p><table width="340" height="280" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);"><tbody><tr valign="middle" style="background-color: rgb(229, 229, 229);"><td style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">The Daily Show With Jon Stewart</a></td><td style="padding: 2px 5px 0px; text-align: right; font-weight: bold;">Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c</td></tr><tr valign="middle" style="height: 14px;"><td style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;" colspan="2"><a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=230687&title=jason-jones-behind-the-veil">Jason Jones: Behind the Veil - Minarets of Menace</a><a></a></td></tr><tr valign="middle" style="height: 14px; background-color: rgb(53, 53, 53);"><td colspan="2" style="padding: 2px 5px 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 340px; text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(150, 222, 255); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">www.thedailyshow.com</a></td></tr><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding: 0px;" colspan="2"><embed width="340" height="280" style="display: block;" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:230687" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="autoPlay=false" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" bgcolor="#000000" /></td></tr><tr valign="middle" style="height: 18px;"><td style="padding: 0px;" colspan="2"><table width="100%" height="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml">Daily Show<br /> Full Episodes</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.indecisionforever.com">Political Humor</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/?searchterm=jason+jones">Jason Jones in Iran</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></p>
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2391113</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:20:24 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Cooking for vampires]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2390898</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<object width="340" height="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oCqh3thvmJI&hl=en&fs=1&" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="340" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oCqh3thvmJI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" /></object><p /><p>Saw this on <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2009/06/craftstake_colicchio_moves_from_diet_coke_to_true_blood.php">Eater.com</a> -- celebrity chef and <b>&quot;Top Chef&quot;</b> judge Tom Colicchio has a new faux commercial out for HBO's vampire series <b>&quot;True Blood&quot; </b>(blah!). They seem slightly appalled, but I think it's a clever little sketch. </p><p align="baseline">So who might be his vampire friends? Hmmm, Padma wouldn't look to bad with a pair of fangs, if you ask me. Anthony Bourdain? Nahhh, too obvious. But Toby Young does bear a striking resemblance to Nosferatu. . . .</p><p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139241&filename=550049-E8CE2E99-D799-4952-A376-1EF79980A646.jpg" /></p><p />
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2390898</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:47:09 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2390898</guid>
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<title><![CDATA["Ted" is back]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2390689</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>
<p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139178&filename=550049-F63AB680-3278-4EAE-AD4C-402318ECE5F0.jpg" /></p><p>Very sneaky of ABC, slipping <b>&quot;Better Off Ted&quot;</b> back into the Tuesday night lineup. Well, maybe not <i>entirely</i> sneaky, since a certain TV blog (cough cough) did mention it was coming back weeks ago, and then promptly forgot about it. Besides, I don't think I've watched anything on ABC since the &quot;Lost&quot; season finale, so it's not like I'd see a commercial for it.</p><p>Oh well, it turns out last night's episode was a rerun anyway. (How do you have a rerun of a show that only aired like six episodes? Huh.) Anyway, new episodes -- five or six, if I remember correctly -- start next week (9:30 p.m. Tuesday).</p><p> &quot;Ted&quot; surprisingly got renewed for a second season, but it's not on ABC's starting <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview/fall-schedule.aspx">fall lineup</a>. It'll pair with &quot;Scrubs&quot; and start airing midseason, when &quot;Dancing With the Stars&quot; ends.</p><p>It'll be nice to have back for the summer at least. It's a bleak TV landscape for the time being, and it'll be the only comedy worth watching.</p>
</p>]]></description>
<comments>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2390689</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:36:48 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
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<title><![CDATA[Cartoon Network gets real]]></title>
<link>http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2390137</link>
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<p>Much like how AMC no longer shows &quot;movie classics&quot; (no, &quot;Predator 2&quot; doesn't count) and MTV no longer shows &quot;music,&quot; Cartoon Network is slowly moving away from animation with four new live-action reality shows. </p><p align="baseline">I'm a big fan of the network's late-night Adult Swim lineup, with its twisted &quot;Venture Brothers,&quot; &quot;Robot Chicken,&quot; &quot;Tim &amp; Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!&quot; and the like. I've gotten a sneak peak at the new shows, which are aimed more for the teen crowd (OK, I can deal with that, I'm plenty immature), but they lack originality and, honestly, are pretty disappointing.</p><p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139108&filename=550049-5C3E171B-659B-4BA4-B9BC-B6768F5F017A.jpg" /></p><p align="baseline">Two of the new series debut Wednesday. <b>&quot;The Othersiders&quot;</b> (8 p.m.) is pretty much a direct ripoff of &quot;Ghost Hunters&quot; from Sci-Fi Channel, only with teenagers. A team of kids goes to spooky places to try to either prove or debunk that they're haunted. It's so scene-for-scene similar to &quot;Ghost Hunters&quot; that it feels like a spoof. Lots of night-vision cameras and ooooooh-this-is-supposed-to-be-scary suspense, but nothing that hasn't been seen before.</p><p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139109&filename=550049-CD1ABB5B-998A-42D4-A242-87FA7116DE00.jpg" /></p><p align="baseline"><b>&quot;Survive This&quot;</b> also starts Wednesday (8:30 p.m.). A group of teens gets dropped in the woods and has to survive on their own. It's hosted by Les Stround of Discovery's very cool &quot;Survivorman&quot; series, and it adds &quot;Survivor&quot;-like bickering and drama. But it's nothing you haven't seen on either one of those shows, or a million others. I kept waiting for &quot;Lord of the Flies&quot; to break out, but alas. . . .</p><p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139106&filename=550049-0A877932-D60D-4CD3-9E1F-D7259BD1FCBC.jpg" /></p><p align="baseline">The other two series start Saturday. <b>&quot;BrainRush&quot;</b> (8 p.m.) is a game show that takes place on a roller coaster. Have you seen Discovery's &quot;Cash Cab&quot;? Then you've seen all this before. The questions on &quot;BrainRush&quot; seem ridiculously dumbed-down too.</p><p><img src="http://tv.pressdemocrat.com/utility/images/popup_image.asp?id=139107&filename=550049-55692215-EB10-4DB9-91A5-13BE0E8D5DB7.jpg" /></p><p> Following that is <b>&quot;Destroy Build Destroy,&quot;</b> which is probably the best of the bunch. Onetime shock-rocker Andrew W.K. hosts the competition between two groups of kids that's a rework of TLC's old &quot;Junkyard Wars.&quot; Teams start with a thing (a car, a truck, a boat, whatever). Then they destroy it. The pieces are used to build something cool (like a tennis-ball rocket launcher mounted on a car), the two teams face off and the loser's creation gets destroyed again. It's not bad on its own, but after seeing the far superior &quot;Junkyard Wars&quot; or the build-crazy-cars segments of BBC America's &quot;Top Gear,&quot; it really pales in comparison.</p><p>I get how Cartoon Network is trying to get kids to watch by making teen versions of everything. But that's the thing -- they're just teen versions of superior original shows that kids are probably already watching. I don't know if kids will bother to tune in when the grown-up versions are so much better (and more extreme, scarier, with more explosions) and still have a parent-friendly PG rating. A little originality could have gone a long way, and it seems like the network missed an opportunity.</p><p />
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<pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:04:35 EDT</pubDate>
<author>undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (tv)</author>
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