No Picture
Documentary

TCA Summer Press Tour: Torture, Witches, H8Rs, Love Labs and more

By Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP Thursday was my first full day at the TCA press tour,  and the sessions ran the gamut with mostly interesting, and sometimes odd, panels of Showtime and CW programs. Things kicked off with Damian Lewis talking about getting peed on a few days ago, and finished up with talk of Dr. Drew’s Love Lab, if that gives you any indication of the day. “Homeland” Security The first panel was for Showtime’s new drama series Homeland, which looks really good. Stars Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Morena Baccarin were here to discuss it, along with executive […]

No Picture
TCA

TCA Summer Press Tour: CBS/Showtime/CW party is a moment of Zen

By Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP Yesterday I made my way out to Beverly Hills to round out the relay team of Channel Guide TCA Press Tour coverage (see earlier posts from Barb Oates and Ryan Berenz for more TCA adventures and info). I’ve been doing this tour for over a decade now, and I always feel somewhat out of sorts on the first day I get here. Obviously, jet lag and a long travel day factor into this, but there is something more, I think. Something like the culture shock one may get when traveling to a foreign country, and […]

No Picture
Reality TV

Sara Rue Hosts Shedding for the Wedding

In this new competition series from the creator of The Biggest Loser, overweight couples attempt to shed pounds and win their dream wedding. Each week’s winner gets one element for their big day, from the cake to the dress, and the winning couple will receive their fantasy wedding in the finale episode. Adorable Jenny Craig spokesperson and Rules of Engagement star Sara Rue hosts. Rue, who recently lost over 50 pounds with the Jenny Craig program and is engaged to be married in spring, can relate to what the couples are going through. “I have had struggles with my weight […]

No Picture
Awards Shows

Sarah Palin beats Snooki as worst female reality star at lighthearted Bennie Awards

By Jeff Pfeiffer Later this week, we’ll be talking about the Razzie Awards, the infamous and hilarious awards that serve as the anti-Oscars, honoring the worst in film from the past year. But this morning, we received notice of a similar award that was unfamiliar to us. The 2011 Bennie Award winners were announced. Only in their second year, the awards recognize the worst in prime time television. The awards’ name (and, presumably, the face seen on the award itself) are inspired by former NBC head Ben Silverman, the architect behind failed series such as Knight Rider, Kath & Kim […]

No Picture
Drama

Crossover event planned for “Life Unexpected” and “One Tree Hill”

Grammy Award-winner Sarah McLachlan performs her new single “Forgiveness” in the Life Unexpected crossover episode with One Tree Hill, which is currently filming in Vancouver. The episode will air October 12 at 9pm ET on The CW. Also singing in the episode will be One Tree Hill series star Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley) and recurring guest star Kate Voegele (Mia), along with Ben Lee and Rain Perry (singer/songwriter of the Life Unexpected theme song). The crossover episode of Life Unexpected brings One Tree Hill characters Haley and Mia to a music festival, sponsored by a Portland radio station and hosted […]

No Picture
Drama

Comic-Con 2010: Maggie Q makes “Nikita” worth watching

Do we need another take on the La Femme Nikita story, which started out as a 1990 French film, was remade for American audiences in 1993 as Point of No Return, and then was the subject of a long-running series on the USA Network? Absolutely not. But if we must have one, this Maggie Q-led version — in which Nikita has gone rogue and is setting out to destroy the top-secret government organization that turned her into an assassin — is easy enough to accommodate. The action and plot won’t wow anyone who lapped up Alias or Buffy, but Maggie […]

No Picture
TV News & Program Updates

“DWTS” and CW iPhone apps announced

A couple of new TV-related apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch have been announced. They are all free, and available at the App Store: CW City Wize App This app is a mobile city guide that provides CW fans with maps that highlight actual locations seen or talked about on the hit shows Gossip Girl, 90210 and Melrose Place. Various locales displayed on the app will also feature video clips from these three respective shows. In addition, viewers can map locations and read reviews of favorite hot spots — restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels and shopping — within the cities […]

No Picture
Drama

“One Tree Hill” will never die … will it? (Part 4)

by haro1d It had to wait, but here’s the synopsis of Monday’s One Tree Hill for those of you still following this series to its death. Is the show really so much more anemic without Lucas and Peyton? It’s really hard to tell, from this writer’s perspective. But here’s more evidence for you to mull over in the meantime: As the episode opens, Nathan is standing on the pier overlooking the water. Clay approaches him — he’s been missing training and is worried about both his contract and the trouble with Renee, the woman who’s blackmailing him. At the grocery […]

No Picture
Drama

“One Tree Hill” will never die … will it? (Part 3)

by haro1d The plot thins on One Tree Hill. Last night’s episode was a bit of a filler (though for you Lucas/Peyton fans, they all feel that way now, right?), but it was filler with at least some purpose. It stood to reason that after Lucas and Peyton left the show, something dramatic would have to happen in the lives of Nathan, Haley and Jamie — it’s been way too happy in that household for way too long. Here’s the breakdown of events as they unfurled: The opening montage: Haley is in the kitchen, looking at the photographic evidence — […]