retroblog.net » TV and movies

Celebrity Apprentice – Season 3 – last night’s premiere

retroDan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:44:41 +0000

I don’t know why I’m drawn to this crap but I couldn’t help but tune in to the season premiere of Celebrity Apprentice last night. I guess it’s the whole train wreck aspect of it. Come on, watching D-List celebrities humiliate themselves just to get some on air screen time? It’s must-see TV!!

For those that didn’t catch the show, here are the team lineups:

Team Rock Solid (the men) : Rod Blagojevich, Sinbad, Bret Michaels, Darryl Stawberry, Curtis Stone, Michael Johnson and Bill Goldberg

Team Tenacity (the women) : Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, Carol Leifer, Summer Sanders, Holly Robinson Peete, Maria Kanellis and Selita Ebanks.

The douche-bag of the night – it’s gotta be Donald Jr. with his big-headed pompous attitude. His response to a question about how he knows who received the most contributions – “I know everything.” what an ass.

The women lost the restaurant task so Carol Leifer got booted. oh well. the Donald rarely fires the more well-known celebs early on so between Lauper and Leifer, it was a bit obvious who the Donald was going to pick.

as for the Donald’s quotables for the night:
- “she’s disgusting!” concerning Lauper’s close friend, Rosie O’Donnell.
- “I think Ivanka saved your beautiful ass.” said to Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks.

celebs already on my nerves:
Bret Michaels (they need to replay his Tony Awards highlight on this show. The clip never gets old!) and Sharon Osbourne.

celebs I’m currently rooting for:
Bill Goldberg and Summer Sanders.

—

—

last night’s Dancing with the Stars snoozefest

retroDan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:02:08 +0000

Last night’s Dancing with the Stars results show proved to us all once again their uncanny ability to stretch what could have been done in five minutes, into a full hour. man, that was painful. viewers had to wait what seemed like eternity to simply confirm the obvious choices for the finale – Donny, Mya and Kelly. And in my opinion, Mya is going to take the trophy home … unless Donny’s faithful fans push him over the top in the end.

Other than getting to the final three, there really wasn’t much else. Obviously there was a bunch of time to fill so they had three musical acts and a dance showcase for the upcoming film Nine.

Alicia Keys screeched her way through her new song “Try sleeping With A Broken Heart”. and then Leona Lewis lip-synced to her new song “Happy” which was a bit of a disappointment since she actually has a great singing voice.

and just when I thought the show couldn’t get any worse, they trot out the two remaining Gibb Brothers to perform “You Should be Dancing”:

yikes! They should simply outlaw anyone over 60 from singing disco music in high falsetto!! it’s definitely hazardous to the ears!

But on the other hand, it was nice to see Cheryl Burke and Chelsie Hightower on the show dancing again. They’re both a treat for the eyes.

as a matter of fact, if it were me, I’d rather watch Chelsie, Cheryl, Lacey Schwimmer and Edyta Sliwinska in those skimpy outfits for an hour and be done with it.

Kenny Mayne, Len Goodman and Jerry Rice on Dance Center

retroDan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:47:37 +0000

Kudos to the writers of Dancing with the Stars for bringing on the funny in the Dance Center segment on last night’s results show. The twisted take on ESPN’s SportsCenter featured Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice, who were both former contestants of the show. Judge Len Goodman was also there to help out with the commentary.

The running gag on shoe sizes was hilarious along with some good natured ribbing of the current contestants:
Joanna Krupa – laughs like a seal
Donny Osmond – “acts like a three year old on sugar”
Aaron Carter – “has the lowest pain threshold of any man I’ve ever seen in my life”
Kelly Osborne – “she’s got a cute accent but she swears like a trucker”
Mya – “needs counseling, got anger problems”

And thank goodness Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff are finally off the show. their on-screen antics definitely got on my nerves this season.

At this point it looks like the highly sought after DWTS trophy will be going to either Donny Osmond or Joanna Krupa. at least in my opinion anyway. stay tuned…

—

—

Taylor Swift on Dancing with the Stars

retroDan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:36:58 +0000

Let me start by saying that I like Taylor Swift. She’s cute, she’s young and she’s got a great sense of humor. But I’m sorry, the girl can’t sing live. It’s pretty obvious she needs a team of producers, studio engineers and pro-tools experts to help keep her vocals in-tune. Check out her appearance from last night’s Dancing With the Stars. ouch. I personally recommend turning down the volume while watching this.

hopefully her upcoming hosting gig with Saturday Night Live will showcase more of her comedic ability than her singing ability (or lack thereof).

—

FOX pulls Dollhouse for November sweeps

retroDan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:42:10 +0000

Well, I guess it comes as no surprise since Dollhouse hasn’t been performing that well lately. But still, what other show does FOX have that’ll pull better numbers in the Friday night time slot?

At least this will give Joss Whedon the go ahead to close out the series and tie up all the loose ends. Of course, I’m assuming FOX will still be showing the rest of the episodes this season…

unsolicited career advice for Joss: please stay far away from the FOX network in the future!!

The Ausiello Files: Fox to bench DollHouse during sweeps
This isn’t a good sign: Sources confirm to me exclusively that Fox has decided to pull Dollhouse off the schedule during November sweeps. Joss Whedon’s ratings-challenged drama is expected to return in December and air back-to-back episodes on Friday night.

Bottom line: Barring a ratings miracle, Dollhouse will be shut down for good after it completes its current 13-episode order.
—

—

—

Three Rivers on CBS – the same old, same old

retroDan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:35:11 +0000

What a disappointment. After a long, drawn out promotional campaign for the new CBS medical drama Three Rivers, last night’s premiere episode was a bust. Come on, if you’re going to produce another hospital-based show in this post-ER era, you gotta deliver more than just the tried and true storylines that we’ve all seen a dozen times before!!

Three Rivers tried to compensate for the tired formula by featuring gimmicky hi-tech medical equipment and heavy-handed scene transitions. But without unique and interesting content, the series just ends up being a rehash of the same old, same old.

The only positive that I could come up with is that I’m glad to see Daniel Henney on a network TV series after his successful stint on Korean soap operas. Other than that, it just felt like I was watching an expensive infomercial on organ donation.

retroGrade: D-

Three Rivers
network: CBS
Starring: Alex O’Loughlin, Katherine Moennig, Daniel Henny, Alfre Woodard

----

a worm invades the oil rig on TruTV's Black Gold

retroDan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:28:24 +0000

The second season of truTV’s Black Gold kicked off last night with a lot of changes. The first season featured three competing rigs vying to be the first among the group to hit oil. But this time around, the show focuses solely on the crew of Rig 28 with a huge dilemma. They need to find oil in 50 days or end up losing the lease on their plot of land. Basically, if they don’t hit crude, the crew will lose their jobs and cost the company millions of dollars. The pressure is definitely on and viewers will be riveted in watching to see if the hardworking roughnecks will make the deadline. I like the fact that the new season will be focusing on one rig this time around since it’ll allow us to get to know the crew members and dig a little deeper into what makes these men tick. I mean, really, can you imagine CHOOSING to be out in the 110 degree heat, working on a 15-story rig and getting all muddy like that?

The new season’s opener which premiered August 19th, introduced a newbie to the rig named Cheston. Cheston is a great addition to the show since viewers can see through his eyes how hard it is to learn this job. The veterans really don’t want to be bothered with a new trainee or “worm” as they call ‘em and so we get to see Cheston having a real tough time figuring out what he’s supposed to be doing. Check out this video clip of his on the job training.

To make matters worse, daytime driller Pee-Wee doesn’t want the newbie around and is actually gunning for him to get fired. Hopefully Cheston will be able to survive this trial by fire especially since viewers will be drawn to this underdog. I, for one, can identify with Cheston because we’ve all been there at some point in our lives. Whether we’re a new kid at school or working our way up the corporate latter, we know how it feels to be the lowly peon. So Cheston should hang in there and not take all the abuse personally. I don’t think it matters who it is, every worm on the rig would have to go through this “rite of passage”. They’ve obviously got to earn their right to be on the rig. Not everyone is cut out for this type of work. It’s labor intensive, physically draining, hot, dirty and I’m pretty sure it’s smelly too. I can’t imagine going through what Cheston’s going through on the job but I could see myself getting the same expletive-filled “employee review” that he got in the following video clip.

But beyond all the in-fighting and name calling, the show should be an eye-opener for the nation. As a country filled with gas-guzzling SUVs and minivans, most folks don’t think twice about the fuel that they pump at their local gas station. The show gives us all a rare glimpse beyond the gas pump and into the lives of these roughnecks that are simply trying to provide for their families while helping supply our nation with some crude.

Oh, and one other neat little tidbit I’d like to point out is concerning the pipe supplier on the show. His name is Michael Patrick McConaughey who happens to be Matthew McConaughey brother. The two even appeared together in a movie titled “The Newton Boys” back in 1998.

Anyway, Black Gold is definitely a “must see” in my book. And when a show like this is run by the geniuses behind “Deadliest Catch” and “Ice Road Truckers”, you just know there’ll be some heart-pounding drama on hand. To get a taste of what the show is about, be sure to check out the truTV’s Black Gold trailer up on youtube.
Watch for new episodes of Black Gold every wednesday night at 10pm on TruTV.

—

—

Epitaph One – Dollhouse – 13th episode

retroDan — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:36:53 +0000

I finally had the chance to watch the unaired “Epitaph One” episode that’s now available on the Dollhouse: Season 1 DVD set. And I’m relieved to be able to say that “Epitaph One” lived up to all the hype. I was a regular viewer of the Joss Whedon series on Fox and I’m glad to see the show getting some much deserved buzz surrounding the release of the DVDs as well as the upcoming season. Fox really put the kibosh on the show by putting it in the friday timeslot but hopefully the show will be able to turn it around and bring in some more viewers this coming season.

Anyway, “Epitaph One” takes place in 2019 with the world in chaos due to the technology that developed out of the Dollhouse/Rossum Corporation. Felicia Day does a fantastic job in leading the group of renegades that are trying desperately to make sense of what’s happening. The main cast appear via flashbacks and provide viewers brief glimpses of what took place to cause such a catastrophe.

here are some random tidbits from the episode:
- Topher lost his mind at some point and is as annoying as ever.
- we learn that Echo develops a way to block imprints
- Paul becomes Echo’s handler
- in the future, there’s a way to imprint the same person into multiple bodies. that’s just freaky!
- there’s some sort of relationship between Boyd and Dr. Saunders/Whiskey.
- oh and speaking of “Dr. Saunders” – apparently Amy Acker will be moving on to another series so her role will be diminished in season 2. so sad. she was superb as Dr. Saunders.

oh and it has been reported that Whedon & company will be working on a smaller budget. I’m not sure if that will affect the look of the show but they’ve already said that the episodes will no longer be 50 minutes anymore like they were in season one.

—

Sarah Palin's tweets as read by William Shatner

retroDan — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:56:29 +0000

I love how William Shatner can make anything sound like Beatnik poetry. The man is a master at voice-overs. I still think of his Ben Folds produced Has Been record as pure genius. And apparently Conan O’Brien thinks so too. Check out this recent clip of Shatner on the Tonight Show reading Sarah Palin’s bewildering tweets as poetry!

Love The Shat!

Annuale

Dragon Hunters DVD review

retroDan — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:31:59 +0000

It’s a bit sad to see that the gorgeously animated Dragon Hunters didn’t find a wider audience. I guess that’s what separates indie films with the marketing power of the majors like Disney and Dreamworks. My kids watched the DVD last week and I noticed that the kids were going back for third and fourth viewings. Usually, they’d be satisfied with a movie after maybe a second run-through so it was a bit surprising to me to see them wanting to watch this particular movie over and over again. So, I sat down and watched Dragon Hunters with them and realized how breathtaking the visuals are. The unique look of the various dragons in the film as well as the detail that went into the landscapes and castles are fresh and inventive and not the typical fare that one would normally see in a children’s animated film.

The film is a CG-animated adaptation of a french TV series which follows a gentle warrior named Lian-Chu along with Gwizdo and a rabbit/dog type creature named Hector. They encounter a little girl named Zoe who’s home is being threatened by the World Gobbler dragon. I’ll admit that the storyline and dialogue are a bit weak here but my take on this is that the movie just HAS to be seen and not heard. People, give this NON-Pixar movie a chance!
—

—
retroGrade: B

Dragon Hunters
Directed by: Guillaume Ivernel and Arthur Qwak
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Rob Paulsen, Mary Matilyn Mouser
DVD released: June 2009
—

—