Jeff Pfeiffer, Author at StayTuned Magazine

Syfy’s got “School Spirits” — yes, they do!

June 20, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

The “paranormal” genre of programming — particularly, the type dealing with ghosts — has become crowded of late. Syfy’s Wednesday night programming in particular is haunted by this type of show. When Ghost Hunters is not on, as now, there are, in its place, shows like Haunted Collector, the upcoming Haunted Highway and, premiering tonight, School Spirits. School Spirits, however, tends to set itself apart from the pack in its effectiveness at setting scenes and delivering creepiness. It comes from producer Mark Burnett, the ubiquitous mind behind everything from Survivor to The Voice, and Seth Jarrett and Julie Insogna Jarrett, […]

“One Nation Under Dog” chronicles our complicated relationship with canines

June 18, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

As anyone who has ever owned a dog knows, as rewarding and loving as that relationship can be, it isn’t always as fuzzy and idyllic as what is portrayed on a greeting card or in one of those Disney Buddies movies — for either the owner or the dog. Most friendships and relationships encounter bumps, hard truths, friction and dark times as they run their course, and the partnerships between humans and canines have been no different over the centuries. Tonight, a new HBO documentary film called One Nation Under Dog: Stories of Fear, Loss & Betrayal, looks at several […]

“Piranhaconda” continues Syfy’s June original movie premieres

June 16, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

If you think watching a completed Syfy original movie is a trip, try checking one out that features unfinished special effects, sound and music! That was my experience with watching a preview screener for this Saturday’s Piranhaconda, premiering at 9pm ET/PT, the latest in Syfy’s four straight weeks of June original movie premieres (following last week’s Jersey Shore Shark Attack). It was pretty hilarious (even more so than usual for a movie of this sort) to watch the attack scenes when I had to use my imagination in many instances to see what sort of damage the title creature would […]

Compulsively hoarding Elvis impersonator begins new season of TLC’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive”

June 13, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive begins Season 4 July 8 at 9pm E/P, again revealing the heartbreaking and astonishing stories of extreme hoarders and following as the subjects meet with experts, revealing the psychology behind their obsession that has made daily existence unbearable. Season 4 will consist of 18 episodes, with the first nine premiering in July and airing Sundays, and the next nine airing in 2013. Season 4 begins with the story of 51-year-old Cary, who is both a compulsive hoarder and and Elvis impersonator. Over the course of two decades, Cary’s paralyzing obsession with Elvis has taken over every […]

NGC re-airs Henry Hill “Locked Up Abroad” episode tonight

June 13, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

Henry Hill, the inspiration for Martin Scorsese’s classic 1990 movie Goodfellas (where he was played by Ray Liotta), and the nonfiction book from which the film was drawn, Nicholas Pileggi’s Wiseguys, passed away Tuesday at the age of 69. Last summer, National Geographic Channel debuted an episode of its popular Locked Up Abroad series devoted to Hill, called “The Real Goodfella,” which told the complete story of his rise and fall in the New York mob, including details of his life not featured in Scorsese’s film. NGC will be re-airing that episode tonight and next Wednesday. In the episode, Hill, […]

“New Girl” bus tour continues its “adorkable” summer run

June 12, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

Now that I’ve noticed more and more young women in my city of Milwaukee donning the “adorkable” style of eyeglasses that Jess (Zooey Deschanel) wears on FOX’s hit comedy series New Girl, I suppose I can’t deny the cultural impact that the show has had after just its first season. And just as that eyeglasses trend has apparently swept into the heartland and beyond, so, too, will the New Girl True American Summer Bus Tour, which kicked off last Friday with several stops in Boston. Throughout the summer, the party school bus that Jess borrowed for Schmidt’s (Max Greenfield) birthday […]

New “Dallas” video updates us on the Ewing saga

June 8, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

TNT released this behind the scenes video clip today in advance of its updated return of the drama Dallas next week, June 13, at 9pm ET/PT. In the clip we see a nice recap of the colorful history of the famous Ewing clan, and get caught up with what’s been happening in the 20 years since we’ve last seen them in case you’ve forgotten (or in case you weren’t even born when Dallas was originally in its heyday). There’s a look at the initial rivalry between the Ewing and Barnes families, which apparently continues to spill over into the new […]

Tony Sirico talks “Jersey Shore Shark Attack”

June 8, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

He’s a lifelong Brooklynite and longtime actor most famous for his role as “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on The Sopranos, but Tony Sirico heads to the Jersey Shore for his latest role in Syfy’s original movie Jersey Shore Shark Attack, premiering this Saturday, June 9, at 9pm ET/PT. When I ask the New Yorker if any of his buddies razzed him for playing a Jersey guy, the actor laughs. “Nah. The only time I get razzed — and then, it’s a good razz — is from the fans I got. If I may say so, I say ‘hello’ to about a […]

Obama and Romney open tonight’s 2012 CMT Music Awards

June 6, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

‘Tis the season for political pandering! On Sunday night, the Barack Obama campaign debuted a commercial during the MTV Movie Awards, probably to attract the attention of young voters, and tonight, the Democratic incumbent and his competitor for the presidency, Republican Mitt Romney, both seem to be aiming for mainly Red State audiences. The two political rivals will appear in a pre-taped comedic opening segment of the 2012 CMT Music Awards, hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell. The awards air live tonight, June 6, at 8pm ET on CMT and CMT.com. “The President and Gov. Romney each understand the […]

History welcomes back “Ice Road Truckers” with its own co-branded line of ice

June 5, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

It’s probably the most natural bit of co-branding you will see — History’s hit series Ice Road Truckers, which just began its new season last Sunday (it airs Sundays at 9pm ET), has partnered with Arctic Glacier to introduce a line of ice (it was either that, or have the show sponsor a line of trucks, or maybe adopt a road, I guess). IRT Ice is the first-ever co-branded line of ice, and through the partnership, more than 8 million bags of the limited-edition product will be shipped to Arctic Glacier retailers nationwide. The campaign will also include point-of-sale advertising […]