Barb Oates, Author at StayTuned Magazine

“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” talk about suicide and series return on “Today Show”

September 5, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide Despite the tragic suicide of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Russell Armstrong just three weeks ago, the series will debut its new season tonight on Bravo at 9pm ET, beginning with a special sit down with cast members. The 47-year-old hanged himself at the friend’s house he was staying with after separating from his wife Taylor. Taylor went looking for Russell after he failed to return phone calls or text messages and found him dead on Aug. 15. Cast members Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump and Adrenne Maloof, along with the series’ executive producer, […]

Sneak peek at new season of “Extreme Couponing,” just in time for National Coupon Month

September 2, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide I’ll admit I’m as fascinated as the next watching TLC’s hit series and marveling at how much money these people save at the register, but I’m almost more intrigued about how that obsession has turned them into hoarders literally — buying all the shelving units to store their hundreds of [insert any random item you would never need 100 items of]. It’s just crazy, but that makes good TV. Well, I’m sure you all know that September marks the start of National Coupon Month, so it’s only fitting that TLC debuts its new season of […]

Laura Dern and Mike White make “Enlightened” HBO’s best new Fall series

August 26, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide Oh what a refreshingly, fun mental breakdown Laura Dern goes through in HBO’s opening scene of their new fall pilot Enlightened, coming Mondays beginning Oct. 10. Dern plays an executive for a corporate giant who unleashes her inner crazy on a boss who just jilted her. Her Prozac-lacking outburst consisted of a firestorm of office no-nos, and for Dern it was “amazing.” “I wanted to see what happens to someone when they have absolutely no boundaries,” Dern told us. “I realized it’s exhausting to be a rager.” “Bathroom” Preview Dern, along with Mike White (School […]

Meet Some Extreme Sweepers And Learn Their Secrets To Winning

August 2, 2011 Barb Oates

Winning a lifetime supply of gas would be a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Winning a case of tampons? Guess it depends on your age, and sex. But for extreme sweepers, it’s not all about the prize; it’s the constant, steady stream of winning that fuels their obsession. TLC’s new one-hour pilot special High Stakes Sweepers, premiering Aug. 14, turns the spotlight on the extreme side of sweepstakes entry. Viewers will meet five successful “sweepers” and will get to see their daily rituals, their current and past winnings, and learn their secrets to success. “Some of these folks are winning prizes every day, and we […]

“Boston” Rob Mariano and Dennis Anderson Go “Around the World in 80 Ways”

August 2, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide The tensions of being with someone 24/7 were still evident when I sat down to talk to Survivor‘s “Boston” Rob Mariano and Monster Truck “Gravedigger” creator Dennis Anderson in August. The duo just returned from a 67-day globe-trotting expedition for their new History series Around the World in 80 Ways, debuting Sunday, Oct. 2 at 10pm ET. While sitting on a hotel balcony overlooking Beverly Hills, Anderson, jokingly annoyed with Mariano’s relentless banter and unasked expertise along the way, says “I nicknamed him Bossy Rob.” Mariano interjects, “That’s cute, right? That’s his claim to fame. […]

TCA: What did Chef Ludo (Ludo Bites America) serve TV critics?

July 30, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide The creator of L.A.’s legendary pop-up restaurant LudoBites – Ludo Lefebrve, known as a renegade five-star French chef, treated critics to an exclusive pop up dinner at Mel’s Drive-In last night. The diner was closed to the public when shuttle buses transporting TV critics descended on the West Hollywood locale. Ludo never left the kitchen serving up a delightful five-course meal you’d never be able to dream up. He did take a two-minute break to thank his wife Krissy and plug his show Ludo Bites America, which airs on Sundance Channel Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT. […]

TCA Summer Press Tour: Oprah welcomes Rosie to Own

July 30, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide Rosie O’Donnell couldn’t have got a better endorsement than Oprah Winfrey making a surprise appearance and her formal introduction at the TCA Press Tour for Rosie’s new talk on OWN. While Oprah reaffirmed her commitment to building and leading the vision of OWN, she quickly handed the stage over to a relaxed Rosie who laid it all out for critics. The 50 year old was an open book sharing her reasons for returning to TV, fears and trademark humor. Here’s the best of Rosie: Rosie had her own daytime talk show that ran from 1996 […]

TCA Press Tour: Cast of “Entourage” make final appearance, plan Entourage movie

July 29, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide Thursday, July 28 – The last panel for HBO was bittersweet as the cast of Entourage took the stage for the final time. While writer Doug Ellin said the series could have gone on forever, after eight seasons he felt it was a good time to end. “Mark [Wahlberg] and I sat down at the beginning of the year, before I started writing, just to talk about what kind of vibe we wanted for the show, and what was important to me more than any kind of story things was to leave it with an […]

TCA Summer Press Tour: Jeremy Piven, Mark Wahlberg, Mike White “Keep It Real.” Best quotes of day

July 29, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide Thursday, July 28 – Day 2 of press tour featured AMC, BBC America, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and one of the tour’s biggest draws, HBO. Some of the top talent of the day included the cast of Entourage in their final appearance as an ensemble cast (executive producer Mark Wahlberg was also along), Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Gloria Steinem, Laura Dern, Luke Wilson, Mike White, Harry Belafonte and others. Taking home today’s honors of best quotes from the day are the following: 1. Jeremy Piven (Entourage, HBO) On fans who take […]

TCA Summer Press Tour: AMC’s “Hell on Wheels” brings back the Westerns

July 28, 2011 Barb Oates

By Barb Oates Follow @ChannelGuide A gritty new Western will be rolling in this fall when AMC debuts Hells on Wheels Nov. 6 at 10pm ET/PT. It’s a wild wild West and we’re in for this ride for the longhaul. The series looks at the struggles and hardships of rebuilding and repairing our country after the Civil War. It follows a Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) and his quest for revenge after the death of his wife. For Mount, this role returns him to his childhood play. “I can’t believe I’m not having to pay them [to do this],” […]