Tom Comi, Author at StayTuned Magazine

Gordon Ramsay simmers down in “Kitchen Nightmares”

September 30, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide Gordon Ramsay is infamous for being hot-tempered in his cooking competition Hell’s Kitchen, but he deserves a lot of credit for showing the amount of restraint he does on Kitchen Nightmares. You would actually think it would be the other way around. In Hell’s Kitchen he constantly blows his top against aspiring chefs (or those still trying to find their way), whereas in Kitchen Nightmares he is already dealing with established cooks who are running a restaurant (mostly into the ground). The premise of Kitchen Nightmares (Fridays on FOX at 8pm ET) is that struggling […]

ESPN carries Red Sox, Rays, Braves and Cardinals Wild Card chase down to the wire

September 28, 2011 Tom Comi

For anybody who argues that individual games don’t matter in a 162-game Major League Baseball season, ESPN is airing compelling evidence to the contrary on two of its networks tonight. ESPN will carry the Red Sox vs. Orioles game at 7pm ET, a game that is crucial to Boston since it is tied with Tampa Bay for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Viewers who watch these teams on the regional networks NESN and MASN will be able to see the Rays take on the New York Yankees (winners of the AL East) on ESPN. ESPN2, meanwhile, […]

“Boardwalk Empire” kicks off second season with a bang

September 23, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide I’ve never been a big fan of period pieces, so I’m not quite sure what made me take a leap of faith last year on HBO’s hit series Boardwalk Empire. But with the second season starting Sunday night (9pm ET/PT) after receiving 18 Emmy nominations, I’m sure glad I did. Some of my decision surely had to do with the fact that it was airing on HBO, a network that rarely misses the mark. It also didn’t hurt that the all-star cast was being headed up by Steve Buscemi (pictured), an actor I’ve always admired. […]

“Glee” veers more off track, heads toward train-wreck status

September 22, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide How much toothpaste has to be squeezed out of the Glee tube before creator Ryan Murphy realizes he’s not going to be able to get it back in? After a lackluster second season that was skewered by critics and fans alike, show enthusiasts tuned in for the season 3 premiere Tuesday night hoping that Murphy had gotten the message. Unfortunately, he didn’t.

“Two and a Half Men” doesn’t skip a beat with Ashton Kutcher, without Charlie Sheen

September 20, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide You really have to hand it to Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre — the man really knows how to throw a funeral. All eyes were on CBS, Lorre and Ashton Kutcher last night to see if and how Two and a Half Men could thrive without embattled star Charlie Sheen (whose character goes by the same first name). And from the opening scene when his brother Alan (Jon Cryer) was delivering the eulogy at Charlie’s funeral, we knew immediately that the show was not going to skip a beat.

Best Emmy Award speeches and comments include Jon Hamm, Jane Lynch, Julianna Margulies, Charlie Sheen & More

September 19, 2011 Tom Comi

I so wanted Jane Lynch to be a great host on last night’s 63rd Emmy Awards on Fox. She seemed to have all of the right ingredients going in: a great sense of humor, infinite spunk and a likability with stars and fans alike. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. From a very lame opening song medley to a boring Jersey Shore sketch to hit-or-miss jokes (more on the hits later), Lynch was sadly miscast. Throw in some really bad ideas (including a very weak celebrity singing group) and a lot of predictability with the winners — Jon Stewart again, really? — […]

“Real Time With Bill Maher” returns at perfect time

September 16, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide Some comedy shows try to incorporate political jokes, and some political shows attempt to inject humor — but no show on television merges the two as successfully as Real Time With Bill Maher. And with so much going on these days politically (including the GOP primaries being in full swing), nothing could make me happier than to see the cutting-edge HBO show return tonight (10pm ET live, with an immediate replay). Some people might label Maher as a comedian, others as a pundit, and others as a satirist. I don’t think he conveniently fits into […]

Ozzy, Coach seek redemption on “Survivor: South Pacific”

September 14, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide Stunt casting is something usually found on sitcoms and dramas to drum up ratings, but no show on television has mastered this better than Survivor. And that is once again the case in tonight’s season premiere as two former contestants are thrown together with 16 newbies for the chance to win the million-dollar prize. Survivor: South Pacific marks the 23rd season of the still-popular reality program, and tonight’s first episode (8pm ET on CBS) features the return of one of the show’s most popular players (Ozzy Lusth, pictured center) and one of its most reviled […]

“Rescue Me” finale provokes tears, laughter

September 12, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide (Note: This article contains spoilers about the final episode of “Rescue Me.”) The biggest compliment a fictional television show can receive is being embraced by the very people it purports to represent, and no show in recent memory embodied that endorsement more than the popularity of Rescue Me with firefighters across the country. Ever since the hit FX show premiered in 2004, the intent of star Denis Leary and his fellow producers was to shed light on a dangerous profession we all tend to take for granted. That made it even more fitting that last […]

Washington vs. New York: More than a football game

September 9, 2011 Tom Comi

Far too often sports fans over-emphasize the meaning of a football game, but Sunday’s featured game on FOX (4:15pm ET) between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants has much greater significance than just another contest between two heated division rivals. Sunday will mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, and no two areas felt more connected that fateful day than New York City and our nation’s capital. It’s no coincidence the NFL scheduled this game on this date, and its symbolism is not lost on residents of either region. I live in […]