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Falling into fall

You might not know Lea Michele but remember her name because she's one of the fresh faces of "Glee." Photo by Playbill.com

In case you missed it, the Fall 2009 season officially kicked off on the CW with "90210" and its sister in remakeland "Melrose Place."

And while the CW has spent millions trying to get people to watch, I'm betting "Melrose Place" won't be long for this world.

You can go to the nostalgia well once and get away with it but twice?

Seriously CW?

Besides the fans have already proven they xoxo "Gossip Girl" but time and the ratings will tell if they feel the same about "Melrose Place."

I hoped you liked what I have to say, because that's all the ink I'm giving it, because while I like trash like with the best of them, this is too low even for me.

Instead, let me point you to a really GREAT show. In fact it fills me with glee to recommend it.

If you're looking for a smart and funny new show, then "Glee" on Fox is it. The show is about a glee club in Lima, Ohio, and their struggle to be accepted among the student body. They've got big dreams and they that fame costs, and they're ready to start paying with sweat, song and comedy.

And while you may think you've been there and done that with the "High School Musical" franchise, let me tell you the kids on "Glee" will make those kids blush with some of the antics they pull. Still, it's a show I can recommend to the over 13-year-old set.

Younger kids might like the music, but trust me when I say this is a show for mature audiences only.

Last week, the first episode re aired complete with a Tweetpeet (where the cast sent Tweets during the episode) and a director's cut with extra scenes. If you thought that was funny, then I can proudly tell you (jazz hands and all) that this episode knocks it out of the park.

The season premiere picks up with the Spanish Teacher Will Schuester fighting to motivate the kids and keep the spirit of the glee club alive. And while I won't spoil much else than that, let me say that at the screening of this episode at Comic-Con folks were laughing hysterically, crying and even gasping as surprises kept coming fast and furious.

The show hits the right notes of drama, comedy, sadness and even some intrigue. In other words, life.

The show is from Ryan Murphy who created "nip/tuck" and if that show is any indication of what's to come on "Glee" then fasten your seat belts because it's going to be a bumpy and enjoyable ride.

"Glee" airs on Fox at 9 p.m. on Wednedays and gets five remotes out of five

The Fall of my Discontent....

Betty and Daniel from "Ugly Betty" are moving to Friday nights, which I'm actually kind of glad about because it now gives me something to watch. Photo by ABC.com

Hello TV watchers. I'm baacck!
You'll notice that the Remote has been on mute for most of the summer because there's really been NOTHING ON TV. We had our bright spots and some not so bright spots. But over all it's been pretty bland.

That's NOT the case this fall. I think we might have a case of system overload as shows fight to compete for your time and attention. I think the biggest story of the fall is NBC's decision to scuttle the 10 p.m. hour of dramas and add "The Jay Leno" Show."

I'll be honest, Jay Leno isn't to my taste. I love his "Headlines" feature but that's about it. I'm going to tune in the first week when he has some pretty big guest stars like Rihanna (making her first appearance on TV since the attack from Chris Brown in February) and Kanye West.

My poor DVR is going to explode because some of my favorites are now facing off. Monday nights looks pretty weak to me, so I'll probably stick with "Heroes" since it's now on at 8 p.m. and then I'm done for the night.

Wednesday is going to be busy because I have "America's Next Top Model" and "Mercy" facing off. I love Tyra so I'm going to stick with a sista because, she's just too damn funny. "Mercy" looks like it's going to be the "anti-ER" so I want to check that out.

I've fallen hard for "Glee" and I just learned yesterday that "Law & Order SVU" is going up against it. I'm going to watch "Glee" and probably DVR "L&O: SVU" and watch it at 10. Lord knows what's going to happen when "Lost" returns for the final season in January, but I'll figure that out then.

Thursday has "Flash Forward" facing off against "Survivor" so I'll be watching "Survivor" live and DVR'ing "Flash Forward." On cable there's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and "Project Runway" but since cable repeats things umteen times, I'll just DVR both of them can catch them later or wait for the repeats.

Fridays, I'm going to jump on the "Smallville" train since I heard it was actually pretty descent this last season. Then "Ugly Betty" at 9 p.m. and "Southland" might be my Friday night at 10 p.m. show.

Saturday air a repeat of "Trauma" so I'll probably wait and watch it then.
Sunday is all about "The Amazing Race" and "Desperate Housewives" but I am curious about "Three Rivers" and "The Cleveland Show" but I'm still on the fence.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be blogging about the shows, the good, the bad and the soon to be cancelled. Until then, stay tuned....

"Project Runway" : All Stars

Poor Korto, close again but no cigar. Photo by Lifetime.com

Tonight, the show I and many viewers thought they might never see again returned. "Project Runway" after almost a year long delay returned on a different night and a different station.

To whet our appetite, Lifetime showed us "All Stars" where the "best" of the past few seasons competed. We had Daniel, Mychael, Chris, Uli, Sweet P, Korto and Santino.

They had to create a mini collection and the looks ranged from the chic to the WTF?
Sadly , the WTF look is what Nina, Heidi and Michael wanted because Daniel won. =-( Korto, who was great came in second AGAIN and I wish someone would finally recognize her talent.

Is fat the new gay?

Luke is the featured bachelor on "More to Love" . Photo by Fox.com

Is it me, or are has Hollywood finally discovered that not everyone is meant to be a size 2?
We've had shows like "The Biggest Loser" on TV for a while, but this summer brings us two more entries in the big and beautiful category.

"Dance Your Ass Off" highlights big people dancing in a ballroom dance contest. Think "Dancing With the Stars" with unknowns and plus sized people.

"More to Love" is basically "The Bachelor" with overweight people.
The problem with this is this, Hollywood goes in cycles. A few years ago, gays were all the rage as shows like "Queer as Folk" and "Queer Eye" and then people got bored and we moved on.

Now, we seem to be embracing fat people as entertainment. And that, I think is wrong.

If the shows are trying to teach us that "Hey, fat people are people too" then they are going about it the wrong way.
You can totally hear the pitches for these shows "Hey! Let's do 'The Bachelor' with fat people!" or "Hey, let's do DWTS with fat people."

I'd be curious to see if America is embracing these shows or if they are bored. The next few weeks will tell.

"16 and Pregnant" the finale

Meet Whitney and Owen. Whitney is one of the subjects of "16 and Pregnant" on MTV. Photo by MTV.com

For the past five weeks, I've had a date with MTV. I haven't watched MTV in a long time (you know, back when they actually played VIDEOS) but I digress. Then I stumbled on this show "16 and pregnant" and I haven't been able to turn away since!

I feel guilty because this are real life situation, but it's like crack. I can't take just one hit. Over the past few weeks we've watched the destruction of Maci and Ryan's relationship. We've watched Farrah duke it out with her mom. We've watched Amber and her older boyfriend Gary mature into loving parents. We watched Ebony's dreams about joining the Air Force come crashing down, only to watch her boyfriend (now husband) get to live his dream of entering the Air Force while she has to stay home with the baby.

And last week, we met Whitney, who is 16 but seemed like 12. I think her episode was the most tragic of all with her, her boyfriend Weston, her mom (who was pregnant too) and her mom's boyfriend all living in her Grandma's (affectionally called Meemaw) all living into a double wide. (cue music from "Deliverance" now).

While clearly MTV ripped of "Juno" I think they ARE doing a service to their audience. Pregnancy isn't cute. It isn't Hollywood and babies aren't magically quiet all the time. They need care. They need love. They need ADULTS to take care of them.

Tonight's episode had Catelynn and Tyler trying to do the adult thing by giving the baby up for adoption. However, their parents want the teens to KEEP the baby. C and T's situation is more complex because both of their parents have had hard times. Tyler's dad has been in jail and Catelynn's mom flakes (I'm betting it's meth) and so they are grappling with what to do. That being said, catch this on the reruns because it's worth it.

I'm hoping that some teens will think twice before having unsafe sex.

Gone too soon!!!!!!

King of Pop Michael Jackson died unexpectedly on Thursday. This cover story in Ebony Magazine was one of his last indepth interviews. Photo by Ebony.com

There have been very few times that I've been speechless, the death of Michael Jackson leaves me with no words. I'm in shock and very saddened by his sudden passing. I'm betting most of you learned about the death of MJ from the Internet while a good portion learned via TV.

I was watching CNN and they were airing stories about this 70s icon death.. And then, it happened. Wolf Blitzer was told that MJ was rushed to the hospital and then suddenly Farrah's story became yesterday's news and MJ was front and center. MJ died around 12:30 PDT, it became a nonstop Michael Jackson fest on many of the major channels.

Videos for songs such as "Liberian Girl" and "Earth Song" were rediscovered by me. And even t hough the news stations have played "Thriller" into the ground I still stop and watch.

CNN has been covering the story nonstop while MTV wisely turned their programming over to MJ videos. While I'm sad, I think it's great that a new generation gets to rediscover the music. LA Reid said on the "Today" show on Friday that "It's time people turned up the music and turned down the chatter" and I think that quote summed up everything I was feeling.

I love Michael Jackson's music. I can listen to "Thriller" all day and not get tired of it. And while his life took some strange and dark turns, the music is still what matters.

I hope that when people look back, that's what they'll remember: music and maybe dancing.

"16 and Pregnant:" Farrah's story

Meet Farrah and Sophia. Farrah's a little spoiled but it looks as if she's going to be a good mom. Farrah's mom, however, looks as if she was a horrible mother and will be a horrible grandma. Photo by MTV.com

It's official. I'm addicted to this show. It's a sad situation, young girls getting pregnant and not knowing what to do. I'm a little skeeved out about watching these girls have their lives taped and I wonder what benefit they are getting from allowing this to happen. Is it they don't want others to wind up pregnant? Or is it their 15 of fame? I dunno, but whatever it is, it keeps me watching.

This week, we meet Farrah who's pregnant by a guy she describes as "jealous and immature," and yet he's the babydaddy?? These girls are choosing real gems for daddies as witnessed by Maci and Ryan from last week's episode.

What I find fascinating, is that the baby's daddy only has is voice heard and never appears in the episode. I'm sure if you knew Farrah, you knew who it was but I wonder what he's doing now? I'm sure he probably was sitting at home when this episode aired tonight and his phone was probably blowing up from people calling him. Like him or not, he contributed half of the DNA and has some rights to the baby. Let's pray he doesn't use Sophia as a pawn to get Farrah back.

What's shocking about these girls too is that how shocked THEY are by others' reaction about their situation. Farrah was ticked that people were talking about her being pregnant. Like DUH!!! These are high school kids. Of COURSE they are going to talk about how this popular girl got pregnant.

Farrah also had a hard time at home too. Her Dad seems cool but it's her control freak mom that's an issue. It's clear that Farrah was looking for love and wound up getting pregnant but her mom and her icy glance of death probably didn't help matters any. She tried to control Farrah and look what happened.

The only humanity she showed was when she stayed with Farrah during Sophia's birth. Otherwise, she was a ice queen throughout the whole episode.

I'm hoping that Farrah can get a job and get the heck away from this woman otherwise, she might wind up like the grandmother from this book.

"16 and pregnant" the premiere

Meet Ryan and Bentley. Ryan, left, is a big baby. Maci is the mom and she has to take care of two babies. Her fiance and her son. Photo by MTV.com

Confession: I used to be addicted to MTV. When the station first debuted, it was tons of music videos and VJs and fun. Now, until recently, I can't remember the last time I watched MTV. That may change because MTV actually has a GOOD reality show on called "16 and Pregnant." Unlike the sporadically airing "True Life" this show takes one subject and follows it: Teen pregnancy.

The show traces the last few months of the teen's pregnancy and how it affects her and her family. And then they follow the teen after the baby is here and shows how hard it is to be a parent.

The premiere episode featured 16-year-old Maci and her fiance Ryan ( who may be in the 19-21 year age range). At first, it's all smiles and giggles as the two set up a household for themselves and the baby but then as the due date draws closer, things change and it's not for the better.

Folks, Ryan is a douche. I hate to use that language but that's just the truth. He basically leaves all the caregiving to Maci and goes out to work, to workout and to hang out with his friends. Meanwhile, Laci and the baby sit at home or they are at her mom's house.

Maci will ask Ryan to change diapers or hold the baby and it's like THE. WORST. THING. EVER. for Ryan because he can't be bothered. Yet, he runs out and gets a HUGE tattoo of the baby's name Bentley Cadence on his body. I think Ryan likes the idea of being a dad but doesn't want to do the work that comes with it.

Maci, however, seemed to be going places. She was a cheerleader and was headed off to college and then she got pregnant. Now it's too late to do anything, but she seems to be embracing the mom role as she gets the baby ready and manages to go to school at the same time. However, I thought when she joined the dance team, that was a bit much because that was time she could have spent with the baby or working so that they wouldn't have to struggle financially.

The most telling scene of the episode was after a fight Ryan says to Maci "If it weren't for the baby, I wouldn't be here." The episode ends with her telling the audience that they were trying to work things out. Personally, I understand why she would because she wants the baby to have a father, but does it have to come at the expense of YOUR self esteem? I think that's too high of a price to pay.


The one thing that wasn't addressed is how she got pregnant. (I know the birds and the bees people so don't go there). Did birth control fail? Was this something they talked about and she went for it? Was it her not knowing she could get pregnant? I think that needs to be clearly stated. What's good about this show is that it gives an unflinching look at what it means to be a teen parent. I'm a 40-year-old man, and I can barely take care of myself. So taking care of a baby is out of the question for me, but I was amazed at how Maci managed to keep it together. However, I know I and practically every mom out there who watched was a little annoyed at how they let the baby cry for no good reason on occasion. I'm not a parent but it was horrible to hear Bentley sit there and cry and cry.

We also learned that daycare in Tennessee costs $650 a MONTH at the school that Maci attends. That's a LOT Of money and I'm glad they showed the financial aspect of why it costs so much to have a baby.

The show airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. and since there's NOTHING else on, you should give it a try. And I hope that this will make kids think twice before running out and having a baby.

Her life on the "D list"...

Tiffany, Kathy, Maggie and Tom will be so entertaining this season on the "D-List." Photo by TiVo.

Some people love her, others hate her but one thing Kathy Griffin can do, is get people to talking. This season, Kathy is already off on a roll as the premiere episode features the one and only Bette Midler. However, the show seemed to be an hour long promo for Bette's show in Vegas.. BTW, the chorographer is the woman who sings this song and another gay icon.

The show kicked off with Kathy's quest for winning a Grammy. (She didn't win although the album For Your Consideration is hysterical).

And I guess as a crossover artist she's now got her sights set on a book due out Sept. 29.

We learn in the first few minutes that fan favorite Jessica her personal assistant quit and that Kathy will be spending this season trying to get A-list tips from A-listers.

She landed a gig with Bette Midler and Bette folks was very prudish and cold. I'm betting that Bette will watch and be shocked at how cold she looked. The cool thing about the show is that Bette apparently has Stevie Nicks on speed dial and as a gay guy, I squealed like a girl when I saw Kathy, Bette and heard Stevie on the phone. Heck if we had Cher, Whitney and Janet I think I would have died instantly.

But there were two moments that were the best of the show. a) Bette went with Kathy to the Fremont Street area to eat a fried Oreo and b) Bette and Kathy sang to a drunk 21-year old. However, a crack-ish looking woman kept mugging in front of the cameras! Hysterical!

Next week Lily Tomlin will give Kathy some advice and I'll be tuning in.....

I'm not a celebrity, but get met out of here....

Oh Sanjaya, I never thought I'd say this, but I actually WANT you to win for a change. Photo by NBC.com


Last week, I wrote about how I hate Spedi. I don't know if you've seen the drama.

So tonight I had to watch. It's 8:27 and Heidi is talking about being a missionary and started talking more and more about God and Jesus and it got old really quick. It also makes me think they are faking this new love for Jesus. Then Heidi started feeling ill and Spencer actually prayed over Heidi. It was hysterical! Along the way, Frances quit after Angela was booted. (How long did she last, one day?)

Are they crazy? Coco for Coco-Puffs? I dunno, but then we saw Spencer on a block hollaring for Jesus! And with that, I'm done.

Someone let me know how this ends....

"I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!"

It's official, Heidi and Spencer are total jerks. Photo by NBC.com

I hate summer. Why? Because for a couch potato, there's NOTHING on to watch. For the past few weeks, NBC has been hyping, "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" and so tonight I bit.

OMG: Heidi and Spencer kills me. They are awful. They whined and complained from the moment go. She whined about bug bites and lack of hair products. And of course not being able to have sex with Spencer.

And Sanjaya is so adorable but I don't expect for him to be long for this game. Patti Blagojevich and Frangela are so random.

Now will I watch for the next three weeks? Not really but I gave it a shot...

The end of "ER"

The cast of "ER" will be missed. Thursday nights at 10 p.m. will never be the same again. Photo by NBC.com

Before I launch into my ode to "ER" let me say, I'm sorry to be away for so long. It's been a hectic few months and to be honest, there's not been a lot to blog on. No show this fall has been hitting it out of the park for me. Very few shows have been MUST see TV and to be honest I've cut back on TV viewing.

That being said, let me write about a show that used to be appointment TV for me: "ER."

I remember when I worked in Colorado Springs waaaay back in 1994, some co-workers and I worked nights but would sneak to look at the TV when we had a chance to watch the show. It was always on my VCR when I got home and I would watch at 1 a.m. when I left my job. The show was nothing like I had ever seen before.

The heart of the show was Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) who was head of the ER. With him was good looking Romeo Dr. Ross (George Clooney) and his long suffering girlfriend Carol Hathaway (Juliana Margulies). Mark had a unrequired love with Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield). Young Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) was the innocence of the viewers as we grew with him to watch the goings-on of the ER. Dr. Benton was the resident jerk (Eriq LaSalle) but had a heart of gold.

Over the years, a lot of our beloved castmembers left the show only to be replaced with new blood. And while some people hung on to the bitter end, I left the show about five years ago. When I heard this was the last season, I tried to watch but other things kept getting in the way.

But there was NO way I was going to miss the finale. And I'm so glad I didn't. The show was pitch perfect and reminded me of classic "ER." I'm so glad we caught up with some of our old favorites (kinda like a class reunion) and the last scene had me crying.

I never knew how much this show meant to me, and now that it's gone, I feel empty.

The highlights of the finale: A teen with alcohol poisoning rattles the ER.
Lydia (who I understand hasn't been on this show in a good five years) wakes the current ER chief the same way she did in the pilot.

Susan, Carter, Benton, Kerry Weaver and Elizabeth all return for the opening of Carter's new hospital. The biggest surprise was the return of Rachel Greene who now is a doctor herself.

The final scene had the ER dealing with patients from a massive explosion and everyone scurrying around. Carter looks at Rachel and asks "You coming Dr. Green?" which is what Dr. Green said in the pilot to Dr. Carter and it was there our "ER" journey began.

So long "ER" I will miss you.

"The Amazing Race!" and "Survivor"

I'm rooting for Jerry to take it all during "Survivor." Photo by CBS.com
Margie and Luke should do well on "The Amazing Race." Photo by CBS.com

I love February because it means the return of two of my favorite shows, "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race." By the looks at the premieres for both, it's shaping up to be an interesting season.

"Survivor" is in Brazil and it looks like it's going to be hot and very combative. Already, I don't like Coach and on "The Amazing Race" they have people who are yelling at each other. Steve and Linda I'm guessing won't last long.

We'll see what the rest of the season holds.

"Survivor" A+
"The Amazing Race" A-

Go Carla!

I'm so rooting for Carla! Photo by NBC.com


This season started out really good but it's been really difficult to watch at times because of the lies and excuses people use. It seems like the people who really, really need to be there are being eliminated. This time it was Carla and Joelle. I think had Carla chosen a different partner, she might have won the whole thing. I hope she takes what she learns and loses the weight needed.

Heroes: Yay or nay?

Here's a little preview action for you! Video by NBC.com



I cannot decide on what to do. I want to dump this show sooo, sooo bad, but the previews look interesting. What do you guys think? Are you in, or are you out?

"24" 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Is Renee dead this quickly????! Photo by Fox.com

First, because of DVR issues and human error I couldn't blog the previous two hours of the show so I apologize. Since the show is moving forward so am I. The gist of the last two hours: Tony's undercover working with Bill and Chloe (yay!) to track down someone in the new administration that's a spy. The first husband finds proof the that the first son was killed given to him by the girlfriend. NotMichelle tortured a suspect to get info and NotChloe aided and abetted it.

In this hour, Tony, Jack and some other sketchy characters gather to force the prime minister out of a safe room that he and his wife fled to when Tony and crew attack. Their lone security guy appears to be getting ready to be killed but then he gets a call from the FBI and they know the FBI is en route.

At first, hope appears to be lost but Jack figures out a way to force them out: ammonia! He concocts a solution to force them out.

Meanwhile Renee aka NotMichelle is having a battle with Larry aka NotBill. He orders her to come back in and she wants to make thing right by capturing Jack and crew.

Meanwhile the first husband is hot on the trail of information about the death of his son and he's confiding his thoughts to special secret service guy.

Back at gas central, the prime minister is ready to die but his wife (the always excellent Tonya Pinkins decides otherwise and she wants some fresh air quickly! She opens the safety door and Jack and crew seize them.

NotMichelle is outside and is quickly captured. The leaders of the plot to stop America from invading Sangala decide that she's unimportant and orders her to be killed.

Along the way, NotMichelle hurls insults at Jack and he takes them. When they arrive at the construction yard, Jack shoots her in the neck (it looks like they have a plan to keep her alive) and then they are ordered to bury her. Jack covers her with plastic and then she gets the silent clock treatment, or does she. If you listen carefully, you can still hear her breathing....

Wow....

The coverage so far....

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What a perfect day. Today President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have the spotlight of the world shining on them. Photo by the Associated Press


With the exceptions of a few hours where I was working, I've been watching the Inauguration nonstop. My god, my god, I NEVER thought I'd see this day. I'm so grateful I'm alive to see an African-American man and woman as president and first lady.

To say the media has gone nuts over this event is an understatement. The coverage began on Sunday afternoon and it's gone nonstop. Throw MLK day in the middle and you've one of the best weeks ever.

For me, the most exciting moments are watching his young daughters Sasha and Malia who seem to be eating every second up of this. I know every little girl thinks their dad is cool but this, this must be sending them over the moon.

The best quote I heard all day: "We just want to be here to feel it. It just magic, it's magic.." said one white woman covered in Obama attire...

Tomorrow, the real work begins, but for today, hope is alive....

It's Inauguration Week...

It's time to make a change! Photo by USA Today.

It's time for me to come out the closet. I'm a Barack Obama supporter. While this blog is normally about the lighter side of TV, I'm caught up with all of the Inauguration coverage.

What's so wonderful is the diversity of coverage. I'm so glad that journalists are recognizing that he's the people's president and not just the BLACK people's president. I love the fact they while they are focusing on African-Americans and asking what this moment means to them. But they are also asking ALL people what this means.

It's a scary time to be an American. Foreclosure. Layoff. Staycation. Bank failures. Pension funds. Crash. These words are sadly heard daily and I have a feeling it's going to get worse but at least there's hope on the horizon.

I wouldn't want to be Barack Obama for all the money in the world because we're in bad times. But if we're in awful times, there's no other person I'd rather have leading us right now.

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