 | “LOST CLIP SHOW” special to air on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 ON ABC |
December 31, 2008 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
A LOOK OVER THE PAST FOUR SEASONS WILL SHED LIGHT ON THE SURVIVORS
OF OCEANIC FLIGHT 815, THE MYSTERIES OF THE ISLAND, THE OCEANIC 6,
CHARLES WIDMORE AND OTHER OUTSIDE INFLUENCES — ALL IN PREPARATION
FOR “LOST’S” EXCITING FIFTH SEASON PREMIERE — IN THE NEW SPECIAL,
“LOST CLIP SHOW” (w.t.), WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 ON ABC’
ABC once again invites new and avid “Lost” viewers to take another look at one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed shows. “Lost Clip Show” (working title) will explore the series in a way that will bring new viewers up to date — but which current viewers will also find illuminating - in anticipation of the two-hour fifth season premiere. The special will take an in-depth look at the mysteries of the island, its inhabitants, the Oceanic 6, outside influences such as Charles Widmore, and also delve into some of the questions that have been answered, and others that still remain a mystery. “Lost Clip Show” airs WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Please note: This program will repeat Saturday, Jan. 24, from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET.
When Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on an island in the middle of the Pacific, each survivor was given a choice to live together or die alone. Thrown together in this mysterious place, they have struggled to overcome shadows from their past in order to survive. Where are they? What else is on this island, and why is Charles Widmore so interested in it? Is Ben really one of the good guys? What really happened to the Dharma Initiative? Is rescue on its way? Rescue, indeed… Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Claire’s son, Aaron - otherwise known as the Oceanic 6 - have been rescued and are trying to pick up the pieces of the lives they knew before the crash and perpetuate the lie concocted to hide the truth of what really happened. But will Jack and Ben be able to convince all of them to return to the island - including taking Locke’s (a.k.a. Jeremy Bentham) body with them — in order to save those left behind? Locating the island may prove even more difficult since Ben moved it. It’s not just a question of where it went, but when. These questions and more will be examined to prepare for the shocking Season Five premiere that will change everything.
“Lost” stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Ken Leung as Miles, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet and Terry O’Quinn as Locke.
“Lost” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.
This episode of “Lost” will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online.
 | WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review) |
December 31, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“Definitely more nuttier than the original film, ‘WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING’ features the beautiful wilderness, killer squirrels and legendary football player Jerry Rice. Oh My!”
Images courtesy of: © 2008 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING
DURATION: 90 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 2009, Color, PG-13, 1080P High Defintion, English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, Subtitles: English/English SDH!/French/Spanish/Portugese
COMPANY: Paramount Home Entertainment
RATED: PG-13 (For Crude Sexual Humor and Language)
Directed by
Screenplay by Jay Legget, Mitch Rouse,
Story by Fred Wolf and Harris Goldberg & Tom Nursall
Based on the Picture WITHOUT A PADDLE
Produced by Amy Goldberg
Executive Produced by Donald De Line
Director of Photography: Thomas Callaway
Production Designer: Mimi Gramatky
Edited by John Gilbert
Costume Designer: Shawnelle Cherry
Line Producer: George M. Engel
Music by Thomas Chase Jones
Casting by Nancy Nayor Battino, C.S.A.
Starring:
Oliver James (as Ben)
Kristopher Turner (as Zach)
Rik Young (as Nigel)
Jerry Rice (as Hal Gore)
Madison Riley (as Heather/Earth Child)
Amber McDonald (as Thunderstorm)
Nuttier than the original!
Truly an accurate description of the film “WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING”, the second film based on the original 2004 movie “WITHOUT A PADDLE”. This time around, featuring a new story and a new cast starring Oliver James (What A Girl Wants) and Kristopher Turner (Instant Star).
The film is also the first comedy for director Ellory Elkayem (known for a few horror films which include the 2005 “Return of the Living Dead” films) and a screenplay by Stephen Mazur (”Liar Liar”, “Little Rascals”).
The story begins with a young Ben and Zach, freshman in high school. Ben is somewhat a good, clean cut, nerdy teen. While his friend Zach is more cool and mischievous. At the first day of school, Ben instantly falls for the school activist Heather who is a vegan and against the cruelty of animals. After signing a petition to join her cause, for Ben, it’s love at first sight.
While trying to impress her the following day sporting a “Meat is Murder” t-shirt, Ben is ambushed by two bullies but thankfully for Zach, the two get into a fistfight with the bullies. While recuperating in the nurse’s office, Ben sees Heather and she blows a kiss to him and from that point, Ben falls in love. Despite Heather being expelled from high school for trying to free the lab animals.
Fast forward nearly a decade later and Zach is working at a nursing home and Ben is now a busy lawyer. Ben and Zach have not really spoken with each other. Zach continues to be a cool, playboy but cares about the people in his life, while Ben is more into working as a lawyer and never has time for anything. Zach has always tried to get in contact with Ben but Ben is too busy to talk.
One day, one of the women that Zach takes care of is dying and she has one last wish, to see her granddaughter one last time. She begs Zach to find her in Oregon. Of course, Zach is a bit reluctant but when he sees the picture of the granddaughter, he realizes it’s Heather, the girl that Ben was obsessed with in high school.
Zachary finds a way to get Ben to leave his workplace when he shows him the picture of Heather and Ben figures maybe this time, as an adult, he will have the guts to tell Heather how he feels after all these years.
So, Ben, Zachary and Nigel (the grandson of the woman looking for Heather) go on a trip to Oregon and learn that Heather is a hippie named Earthchild and went to the wilderness with her friend Thunderstorm. But they never came back and have not been seen since. Thus are assumed as dead by the locals.
Having come this far, Ben and Zachary decide to not heed the warnings from the locals to not go into the wilderness and eventually get caught up in an adventure that takes them through beautiful lush terrain, with the immense trees in the wilderness, riding a raft through the rapids with nothing but two kegs, matches and Nigel’s darts and not packing any food or anything else, it’s definitely, an adventure that the three will not forget.
Adding some chaos to their adventure are killer squirrels, Hal Gore (football legend, Jerry Rice) and mysterious guys who have their eyes on the Ben, Zach and Nigel. Who are they? Despite their obstacles of trying to survive in the wilderness, will they find Heather in time?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING” is presented in 1080P Hi-Definition. Definitely one of the major positives of the film is that this movie was shot in location in the wilderness. The vibrant colors of the blue sky, the green and fall colors of the trees really look quite beautiful. So, watching this film on Blu-ray was quite nice because the majority of the film is shot outdoors. With that being said, there is quite a bit of grain present (which is expected since this is a film afterall). But not too distracting.
As for the audio, the audio features an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track. Although the film is primarily dialogue driven, there are some instances where the music and the action scenes does utilize your rear surround speakers. Although recorded outdoors, I don’t recall hearing the wilderness ambiance but when the music comes on, it’s well presented. During the gunfire scenes, you hear that clearly and quite pronounced as well. But otherwise, the film is primarily dialogue-driven.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Another plus is that the majority of the featurettes are presented in HD. The special features on Blu-ray are as follows:
- Featurette: Up The Creek: The Making of Without A Paddle: Nature’s Calling HD - Interviews with the cast, producers and the director. A fun featurette and it’s interesting to hear Oliver James speaking with his British accent and even talks about how he is able to shut it off (courtesy of watching many American cartoons, TV shows and films in the UK).
- Featurette: Furious Nuts HD - An interesting featurette that plays on the squirrels. More of a humor-based featurette for viewers who want to know how the squirrels were cast for the film and how the squirrels were so demanding.
- Featurette: Treehouse Tales HD - During the film, the treehouse becomes a major part of the film and you get to see how the treehouse was created.
- Bloopers - A gag reel of several bloopers throughout the film. If anything, this gag reel gives an idea of how Jerry Rice was in his first major speaking role in a film.
- Deleted Scenes - Featuring four additional scenes that didn’t make it to the final cut: How’d He Do That?, Attack the River, Let It Go and Treehouse Fight
As most direct-to-video films that are based on major Hollywood films, “WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING” is one of those films that will appeal to fans of the original film or the actors that are on it.
I found “WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING” definitely much more nuttier than the first. Reason being, is that with the first, I had more higher expectations (given the talent on that film) but with this film, all I was expecting was to be entertained for 90 minutes.
And I had a few laughs during the film, especially during the scenes that stars legendary wide-receiver, Jerry Rice who plays the part as Hal Gore.
Jerry Rice has his first major speaking role in this film and as a beginning actor, because of that, I think the delivery of his lines made things a bit more humorous. His character has lived in the wilderness for so many years studying how squirrel farts have damaged the atmosphere, wearing nothing but squirrel fur and a bit long black beard, of course it’s campy and his delivery of his lines are just awful but somehow it worked and made me laugh.
And of course, quite a bit of adult humor, especially when the guys reunite with Heather (Earthchild) and her friend Thunderstorm. Good playoff of humor between Ben, Zack and the two women.
Again, a major plus was that the film was shot outdoors, so seeing the lush surroundings of the wilderness and the group having to ride their raft through the river was fun to watch and it looked good on Blu-ray. And it was also good to see that the featurettes were also featured in HD.
On the negative side, there were a few plot holes in the actual screenplay, some of the acting was so-so and the squirrels, they looked a bit too CGI for a film like this but nevertheless, it worked OK.
But in the end of the day, if I was asked the question, “were you entertained?” and the answer would be yes, I was entertained. Did I love the movie, not really. But I was entertained and definitely had a few laughs.
So, if you were a fan of the original “WITHOUT A PADDLE”, a fan of any of the talents of the film or just want to check out a comedy that takes place in the outdoors, then definitely give “WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING” a try.
|
| NEO ANGELIQUE ABYSS TO FIGHT EVIL WITH CRUNCHYROLL |
December 31, 2008 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Online Media Distribution Leader to Broadcast NEO ANGELIQUE ABYSS and NEO
ANGELIQUE ABYSS SECOND STAGE in January 2009
San Francisco, CA (December 31, 2008) Fight life-draining demons and
³purify² the world of Arcadia with the hit anime series NEO ANGELIQUE ABYSS.
The series will be available for ad-supported free streaming on January 2nd,
2009, while Crunchyroll Anime Members can enjoy a higher quality ad-free
experience.
Crunchyroll Anime Membership will begin on January 8, 2009-in conjunction
with the first ever world wide simulcast of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN and has a
SPECIAL pre-order price of $6.95/month. Fans are encouraged to pre-order
the subscription plan by January 8, 2009 to lock in the special holiday deal
and begin enjoying over one hundred (100) fantastic anime titles in January.
All fans can enjoy all content on the site for free, including NEO ANGELIQUE
ABYSS, but Crunchyroll Anime Members will enjoy some additional special
privileges. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com
<http://www.crunchyroll.com> /preorder.
|
| CBS GOES INT0 2009 WITH 13 CONSECUTIVE VICTORIES IN VIEWERS |
December 31, 2008 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Also Places First in Adults 25-54 - Its Twelfth Time in 14 Weeks
CBS Monday Dominates Every Time Slot
“Home for the Holidays” Posts Largest Audience Since 2001
CBS found plenty to celebrate over the holiday season, as the network notched its thirteenth consecutive win in viewers, and placed first in Adults 25-54 - its thirteenth win in 14 weeks, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending Dec. 28, week 14 of the 2008-2009 television season.
Season-to-date compared to last season, CBS is the only broadcast network to post gains in viewers (+1, 11.74m from 11.65m).
For Week 14 CBS also placed first adults 25-54, its 12th time in 14 weeks.
CBS won 30 half-hours in viewers (68% of the network’s 22-hour schedule last week) while commanding eight of the top 10 programs of the week, including #2 60 MINUTES, #3 TWO AND A HALF MEN, #4 THE MENTALIST 10PM SPECIAL, #5 NCIS 9PM SPECIAL, #7 MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD, #8 COLD CASE, #9 CSI: MIAMI and #10 CSI SPECIAL.
For the week in viewers: CBS (7.58m), (6.27m), FOX (5.41m) and ABC (4.72m). Season to date, CBS is #1 in viewers (11.74m), ahead of ABC (9.50m), NBC (7.91m), FOX (7.70m)
For the week in demographics, CBS was tied for first in adults 25-54 (2.4/07) for the ninth consecutive week and 12th time this season. Season-to-date, CBS is first in adults 25-54 and adults 18-49.
For the week in households: CBS (4.8/09) was +23% ahead of NBC (3.9/07), +66% ahead of ABC (2.9/05) and +45% ahead of FOX (3.3/06).
CBS’s Weekly Highlights:
THE BIG BANG THEORY (R) was first in households (4.7/08), viewers (7.24m), adults 25-54 (2.9/08) and adults 18-49 (2.4/07).
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (R) was first in households (4.4/07), viewers (6.84m), adults 25-54 (3.0/08) and adults 18-49 (2.5/07).
TWO AND A HALF MEN (R) was first in households (7.4/12), viewers (11.82m), adults 25-54 (4.6/11) and adults 18-49 (3.5/10).
WORST WEEK (R) was first in households (4.5/07), viewers (6.86m), adults 25-54 (2.6/06) and tied for first in adults 18-49 (2.0/05, with ABC).
CSI MIAMI (R) was first in households (5.8/10), viewers (8.54m), adults 25-54 (2.8/07) and adults 18-49 (2.0/05).
A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (S), compared to last year’s special (on Friday, December 21st), was up +40% in households (4.2/07 from 3.0/06), +36% in adults 25-54 (1.5/04 from 1.1/04), +38% in adults 18-49 (1.1/04 from 0.8/03) and added +2.12m viewers (6.43m from 4.31m, +49%). This is the best households and viewers delivery for A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS since 2001 (when the special aired twice).
NCIS 9:00 PM SPECIAL (R) (S) (9:00-10:01 PM) won its time slot in households (6.6/11), viewers (10.60m), adults 25-54 (2.9/08) and adults 18-49 (2.1/06).
THE MENTALIST 10:00 PM SPECIAL (R) (S) (10:01-11:00 PM) was first in households (6.6/11), viewers (10.68m), adults 25-54 (3.0/08) and adults 18-49 (2.1/06). THE MENTALIST 10:00 PM SPECIAL was the night’s #1 program in both viewers and adults 25-54.
WITHOUT A TRACE THURSDAY 8:00 PM SPECIAL (R) (S) (8:00-9:00 PM) won its 8:00 PM time slot in households (3.6/08), was second in viewers (5.88m), adults 25-54 (1.6/05, -0.1 behind NBC) and was tied for second in adults 18-49 (1.1/04, with ABC).
CSI SPECIAL (R) (S) (9:00-10:01 PM) was first in households (5.0/10), viewers (8.03m), adults 25-54 (2.6/07) and second in adults 18-49 (1.7/06, -0.1 behind NBC).
ELEVENTH HOUR SPECIAL (R) (S) (10:01-11:00 PM) was first in household (4.7/10), viewers (7.37m), adults 25-54 (2.4/07) and adults 18-49 (1.6/05).
GHOST WHISPERER SPECIAL (R) (S) (8:00-9:00 PM) was first in households (5.0/09), viewers (7.80m), adults 25-54 (2.4/07) and adults 18-49 (1.6/06).
GHOST WHISPERER 9:00 PM SPECIAL (R) (S) (9:00-10:00 PM) was first in households (4.2/08), viewers (6.51m), adults 25-54 (2.2/06) and adults 18-49 (1.5/05).
NUMB3RS SPECIAL (R) (S) (10:00-11:00 PM) was first in households (4.2/08), viewers (6.69m) and tied for first in adults 25-54 (2.2/06, with NBC).
60 MINUTES (7:25-8:25 PM) was first from 7:30-8:30 PM in households (8.7/15), viewers (14.11m), adults 25-54 (3.8/10) and adults 18-49 (2.8/08).
MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD (8:25-9:25 PM) was second from 8:30-9:30 PM in households (6.3/10), viewers (9.84m), adults 25-54 (2.7/06) and third in adults 18-49 (2.0/05). Compared to last weeks season premiere, MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD was up +3% in households (from 6.1/10), +17% in adults 25-54 (from 2.3/06), +11% in adults 18-49 (from 1.8/05) and added +260,000 viewers (from 9.58m, +3%).
CBS top programs of the week:
#2 60 MINUTES (an average of 14.11m viewers), #3 TWO AND A HALF MEN (R) (11.82m), #4 THE MENTALIST 10PM SPECIAL (R) (S) (10.68m), #5 NCIS 9PM SPECIAL (R) (S) (10.60m), #7 MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD (9.84m), #8 COLD CASE (R) (9.69m), #9 CSI: MIAMI (R) (8.54m), #10 CSI SPECIAL (R) (S) (8.03m), #11 GHOST WHISPERER SPECIAL (R) (S) (7.80m), #14 ELEVENTH HOUR SPECIAL (R) (S) (7.37m), #15 THE BIG BANG THEORY (R) (7.24m), #17 CSI: NY SPECIAL (R) (S) (6.92m), #18 WORST WEEK (R) (6.86m), #19 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (R) (6.84m), #21 NUMBERS SPECIAL (R) (S) (6.69m), #25 GHOST WHISPERER 9PM SPECIAL (R) (S) (6.51m), #26 CRIMINAL MINDS SPECIAL (R) (S) (6.46m), #28 THE UNIT (R) (6.45m), #29 A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (S) (6.43m).
Prime averages are based on the following hours of rated broadcasts in Week #14:
CBS: 22 hours
NBC: 21.5 hours
ABC: 22 hours
FOX: 15 hours
NATIONAL NIELSEN SUMMARY - PRIMETIME
Week #14 of 2008-09 Season (ending: 12/28/08)
2008-09 2007-08
HOUSEHOLDS
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 4.8 9 5.3 10 -9%
NBC 3.9 7 5.1 9 -24%
ABC 2.9 5 3.3 6 -12%
FOX 3.3 6 3.6 7 -8%
CW 0.8 2 1.1 2 -27%
VIEWERS
(000) (000) Chg
CBS 7,579 8,566 -12%
NBC 6,269 8,214 -24%
ABC 4,720 5,207 -9%
FOX 5,408 6,057 -11%
CW 1,299 1,666 -22%
A25-54
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 2.4 7 2.9 8 -17%
NBC 2.4 7 3.2 9 -25%
ABC 1.7 5 1.9 5 -11%
FOX 2.1 6 2.4 7 -13%
CW 0.5 1 0.6 2 -17%
A18-49
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 1.7 5 2.3 7 -26%
NBC 1.9 6 2.7 8 -30%
ABC 1.4 4 1.6 5 -13%
FOX 1.8 6 2.2 7 -18%
CW 0.4 1 0.6 2 -33%
A18-34
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 1.1 4 1.4 5 -21%
NBC 1.5 5 2.0 7 -25%
ABC 1.0 4 1.1 4 -9%
FOX 1.6 6 1.9 7 -16%
CW 0.4 1 0.5 2 -20%
NATIONAL NIELSEN SUMMARY - PRIMETIME
SEASON-TO-DATE RATINGS REPORT (09/22/08-12/28/08)
2008-09 2007-08
HOUSEHOLDS
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 7.3 12 7.4 12 -1%
NBC 4.9 8 5.5 9 -11%
ABC 6.0 10 6.8 11 -12%
FOX 4.7 8 5.2 8 -10%
CW 1.4 2 1.8 3 -22%
VIEWERS
(000) (000) Chg
CBS 11,741 11,650 +1%
NBC 7,912 8,727 -9%
ABC 9,501 10,428 -9%
FOX 7,699 8,460 -9%
CW 2,191 2,815 -22%
A25-54
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 4.1 10 4.3 10 -5%
NBC 3.3 8 3.7 9 -11%
ABC 3.5 9 4.0 10 -13%
FOX 3.2 8 3.4 8 -6%
CW 0.9 2 1.1 3 -18%
A18-49
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 3.2 9 3.3 9 -3%
NBC 2.9 8 3.3 9 -12%
ABC 3.0 8 3.4 9 -12%
FOX 2.8 8 3.1 8 -10%
CW 1.0 3 1.2 3 -17%
A18-34
Rtg Sh Rtg Sh Chg
CBS 2.1 6 2.3 7 -9%
NBC 2.6 8 2.8 8 -7%
ABC 2.3 7 2.7 8 -15%
FOX 2.6 8 2.9 9 -10%
CW 1.1 3 1.2 4 -8%
National Nielsen Rank for Demographic: PER2+ for 12/22/2008 - 12/28/2008
Persons 2+ (000)
1. NBC Sunday Night Football Broncos vs. Chargers NBC 14847
2. 60 MINUTES CBS 14110
3. TWO AND A HALF MEN (R) CBS 11817
4. THE MENTALIST-10PM SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 10676
5. NCIS 9P-SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 10598
6. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick NBC 10137
7. MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD CBS 9836
8. COLD CASE (R) CBS 9693
9. CSI: MIAMI (R) CBS 8541
10. CSI - SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 8029
11. GHOST WHISPERER-SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 7795
12. The OT FOX 7625
13. Football Night American Part 3 NBC 7517
14. ELEVENTH HOUR - SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 7370
15. THE BIG BANG THEORY (R) CBS 7244
16. Law And Order: SVU (R) NBC 7052
17. CSI: NY - SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 6918
18. WORST WEEK (R) CBS 6859
19. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (R) CBS 6840
20. House (R) FOX 6739
National Nielsen Rank for Demographic: A25-54 for 12/22/2008 - 12/28/2008
Adults 25-54 Rating
1. NBC Sunday Night Football Broncos vs. Chargers NBC 6.4
2. TWO AND A HALF MEN (R) CBS 4.6
3. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick NBC 4.3
4. 60 MINUTES CBS 3.8
5. Football Night America Part 3 NBC 3.2
6. The OT FOX 3.1
7. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (R) CBS 3.0
7. THE MENTALIST-10PM SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 3.0
9. THE BIG BANG THEORY (R) CBS 2.9
9. NCIS 9P-SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 2.9
11. COLD CASE (R) CBS 2.8
11. CSI: MIAMI (R) CBS 2.8
13. MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD CBS 2.7
13. House (R) FOX 2.7
13. How Grinch Stole Christmas - Tuesday (R)(S) ABC 2.7
16. Family Guy (R) FOX 2.6
16. CSI - SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 2.6
16. WORST WEEK (R) CBS 2.6
19. Law And Order: SVU (R) NBC 2.5
19. Simpsons (R) FOX 2.5
National Nielsen Rank for Demographic: A18-49 for 12/22/2008 - 12/28/2008
Adults 18-49 Rating
1. NBC Sunday Night Football Broncos vs. Chargers NBC 5.4
2. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick NBC 3.7
3. TWO AND A HALF MEN (R) CBS 3.5
4. The OT FOX 2.9
5. 60 MINUTES CBS 2.8
6. Family Guy (R) FOX 2.7
7. Football Night America Part 3 NBC 2.6
8. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (R) CBS 2.5
8. Simpsons (R) FOX 2.5
10. THE BIG BANG THEORY (R) CBS 2.4
11. How Grinch Stole Christmas - Tuesday (R)(S) ABC 2.3
12. House (R) FOX 2.2
12. House Special-12/22 8P (R)(S) FOX 2.2
12. American Dad (R) FOX 2.2
15. THE MENTALIST -10PM SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 2.1
15. NCIS 9P-SPECIAL (R)(S) CBS 2.1
17. CSI: MIAMI (R) CBS 2.0
17. MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD CBS 2.0
17. COLD CASE (R) CBS 2.0
17. Law And Order: SVU (R) NBC 2.0
17. King Of The Hill (R) FOX 2.0
17. WORST WEEK (R) CBS 2.0
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| “TRUE BEAUTY” PREMIERES JAN. 5 ON ABC |
GORGEOUS CONTESTANTS ARE SECRETLY SCRUTINIZED AS THEY COMPETE, ON THE PREMIERE OF ABC’S “TRUE BEAUTY”
Vanessa Minnillo Hosts / Cheryl Tiegs and Nole Marin Are Judges
“Episode 101″ — “True Beauty”-featured contestants include six gorgeous young women and four hot young men, premiering MONDAY, JANUARY 5 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.
The women are: Ashley Michaelson, a 21-year-old designer’s assistant from Rochester, New York; Monique Santiago, a 21-year-old Go-Go dancer from Manhattan, New York; Julia Anderson, a 23-year-old magician’s assistant from Dallas, Texas; Laura Leigh, a 21-year-old model from Staten Island, New York; Chelsea Bush, a 21-year old model/artist from Brentwood, Tennessee; and Hadiyyah-lah Fatimah Sa’id, a 23-year-old audio engineer from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The men are: CJ Miller, a 26-year-old barista from Los Angeles, California; Billy Jeffrey, a 31-year-old vitamin store owner from Lewiston, Idaho; Joel Rush, a 26-year-old imaging software salesman from Tampa, Florida; and Ray Seitz, a 29-year-old artist from San Diego, California.
Hosted and judged by Vanessa Minnillo (former host of “TRL” and “ET”), along with judges Cheryl Tiegs (America’s first supermodel, currently designer and author) and Nole Marin (”America’s Next Top Model” and fashion expert for E!, TV Guide, “The Tyra Banks Show”), the series will determine the “True Beauty” of six stunning females and four handsome males who will live together in a Los Angeles mansion as they undergo challenges to determine who is truly the most beautiful. The gorgeous contestants assume they’re being judged solely on their outer appearance. They’re only half right; outer beauty is one component the judges are looking for, but contestants are also being evaluated — unbeknownst to them — for their INNER beauty as well when they’re put through scenarios and situations that require them to make moral decisions.
Each episode will showcase an outer beauty and an inner beauty challenge, during which contestants will be judged on everything from how well they perform in photo shoots to how well they respect their elders. The three judges will observe and critique the contestants’ behavior and eliminate one person each week. Only after the elimination will the truth about the show be revealed to him/her, as they watch a video montage of their behavior captured by a hidden camera during the shoot. At the end of eight episodes, one winner will be declared, a person who is truly beautiful inside and out. That person will receive a cash prize and a spot in PEOPLE magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People issue.
Executive producers of “True Beauty” are Denise Cramsey (ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), Tyra Banks and Laura Armstrong for Bankable Productions, and Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke, and Rod Aissa for Katalyst Productions. The series is a production of Warner Horizon Television.
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| Paris Hilton at the ‘Bongo Virus’ launch press call in Sydney, Australia |
December 31, 2008 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
picapp: Paris Hilton at the ‘Bongo Virus’ launch press call, Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, Australia. Picture by: Snapper Media / Splash News. Content © 2008 Splash News . All rights reserved.
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| EXILE and JERO the winners at Japan Record Awards |
December 31, 2008 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Mainichi Daily News reported:
The all-male pop group “Exile” won the grand prize at the 50th Japan Record Awards on Tuesday, while enka singer Jero was awarded the best new artist prize.
The annual record awards finalized its winners at the New National Theatre in Tokyo on Tuesday, honoring Exile for their smash hit tune “Ti Amo” and black American singer Jero, who shot to fame with his debut single “Umiyuki.”
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| EXILE wins big at the 50th Japanese Japan Record Awards |
JapanToday.com reported:
Pop group Exile took out the top prize for their first time at the 50th Japan Record Awards held in Shibuya on Tuesday night, for their single “The Birthday - Ti Amo.” Exile won an award at the Japan Record Awards last year and won another for their single with Kumi Koda “Won’t Be Long” in 2006, but this was the first time they were able to take out the top prize at the awards held by the Japan Composers’ Association.
With this, Exile took their tally of awards for 2008 up to a massive 15. Some of the awards they won earlier in the year include the three they won at the 41st Japan Cable Radio Awards, and three at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.
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| GREEK: CHAPTER TWO (a J!-ENT DVD Review) |
December 30, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“The second half of the first season of ‘GREEK’ is here! A youthful drama series that is not just fun and cool but overall, a well-written, enjoyable series!”
Images courtesy of ©WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.”
TITLE: GREEK: CHAPTER TWO
DURATION: 517 minutes (12 episodes)
DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, Region 1, Widescreen (1:78:1), NTSC, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Spanish and French subtitles
RATED: 14 DSL
COMPANY: abc entertainment
Series Directed by Michael Lange, Gil Junger, Nick Marck, Fred Gerber
Series written by Patrick Sean Smith, Carter Covington, Jessica O’Tool, Amy Rardin, Roger Grant, Michael Berns, Anne Kenney, Jed Seidel and Dana Calvo
Produced by Anne Kenney, Patrick Sean Smith, Nellie Nugiel, Adam Fratto, Lloyd Segan, Todd Ulman, Shawn Piller, Michael Berns, Michael Lange, Dana Calvo, Jed Seidel, Carter Covington, Valerie Joseph, John Ziffren and Keith Patterson
Starring:
Clark Duke (as Dale)
Scott Michael Foster (as Cappie)
Spencer Grammer (as Casey Cartwright)
Paul James (as Calvin Owens)
Jake McDorman (as Evan Chambers)
Jacob Zachar (as Rusty Cartwright)
Aaron Hill (as the Beaver)
Dilshad Vadsaria (as Rebecca Logan)
Amber Stevens (as Ashleigh)
Tiffany Dupont (as Frannie)
Join TV’s coolest young cast as they find friendship, fun and a new kind of drama in the sensational second chapter of the ABC family original series Greek.
The excitement and the heartbreak of Greek life continues for the students of Cyprus-Rhodes University and everything heats up when they head south for Spring Break, is there enough room in Myrtle Beach for Casey, Cappie and Rebecca? Will Rusty ever learn to balance his loyalties between friends and frat? Witness every romance and rift, every juicy bit of gossip and all the ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster ride called college.
Go deeper into the lives of your favorite characters from ever before and experience all 12 episodes of Greek: Chapter Two, complete with chart-topping music and never-before-seen bonus features in a three-disc box set. Pledge today. It’s a rush.
The life of those who belong to a fraternity and sorority, the second half of the first season of “GREEK” featuring the remaining 12 episodes is now out on DVD (a total of 22 episodes).
Probably one of the more unique shows covering college life but focusing on the Greek fraternity and sorority life and the challenges that students face but also adding the love triangles, dramas, relationships and the rivalries that exist. The episodes focus on the following characters:
Casey Cartwright (played by Spencer Grammer) - The interim president of Zeta Beta Zeta. The primary character is a sorority sister who has to lead her sorority after a scandal nearly ends their sorority (from the first half of the series). Casey has her own problems as her ex-boyfriend Cappie is now dating Rebecca Logan in her sorority (who she can’t really stand) and her current relationship with Evan Chamber is not going quite well.
Rusty Cartwright (played by Jacob Zachar) is a Kappa Tau Brother. Very intelligent, nerdy and sometimes doesn’t fit in with his partying fraternity but nevertheless, he admires his sister Casey and is the little fraternity brother of Cappie.
Cappie (played by Scott Michael Foster) is Rusty’s fraternity big brother, the president of Kappa Tau Gamma and ex-boyfriend of Casey and starting a relationship with Rebecca Logan. He still has some feelings for Casey but now is in love with Rebecca.
Evan Chambers (played by Jake McDorman) is the newly elected president of Omega Chi Delta. Former best friends with Cappie and now in a rival fraternity. The two don’t care for each other and Evan started dating Casey, still in love with her but knows that Casey has moved on. But gets very jealous when Casey is with another guy.
Calvin Owens (played by Paul James) is a brother at Omega Chi Delta and best friends with Rusty. Life has been different for him since he has been outed that he’s gay. A good friend to Ashleigh.
Ashleigh Howard (played by Amber Stevens) is Casey’s best friend, sometimes ditzy and a member of Zeta Beta Zeta. A good friend of Calvin.
Dale Kettlewell (played by Clark Duke) is Rusty’s roommate. A nerdy guy, straight edged and believes he can cure Calvin being gay. Started his own group U-SAG (University Students Against Greeks).
Rebecca Logan (played by Dilshad Vadsaria) is a sister at Zeta Beta Zeta, a senator’s daughter, dating Cappie and because of that, really doesn’t like Casey.
Frannie Morgan (played by Tiffany Dupont) is Casey’s Big Sister, the former president of Zeta Beta Zeta but was kicked out due to a scandal. Trying to establish a relationship with Casey and the sisters.
With that being said, “Chapter Two” on DVD starts of with episode 11. The following episodes are:
- A New Normal (Episode 11) - The start of a new semester and Rusty is broken-hearted after his breakup and Casey is going to have to go at bat for her sorority and make things right after the scandal. The Nationals send Lizzi to assist Casey in her leadership duties by making sure the sorority meets school standards and don’t mess up. Meanwhile, everyone tries to recover from the scandal and try to make good with Dean Bowman by having a “Back to School” carnival and support his favorite charity.
- The Great Cappie (Episode 12) - The Zeta Beta Zeta girls decide to have a party with the Kappa Tau Brothers with the theme being “The Great Gatsby”. Meanwhile Dean Bowman tries to investigate the party after a tip from an unknown source. Meanwhile Calvin is deciding if he should stay with Omega Chi or join Rusty’s fraternity after some of his brothers are not too accepting of him being gay.
- Highway to the Discomfort Zone (Episode 13) - Cappie is not too happy to find out that Evan of Omega Chi ratted them out to Dean Bowman, thus war is declared. Also, Casey learns about Cappie’s relationship with Rebecca.
- War & Peace (Episode 14) - Kappa Tau and Omega Chi face off against each other. Also, Casey wants the watchful eyes of the National and Lizzi to be gone but that means she must forgive Frannie and let her back into the sorority. Will She?
- Freshman Date (Episode 15) - The flashback episode in which we learn about Casey and Cappie’s freshman year, why Cappie and Evan do not get along and Casey learns more about her sorority sister Frannie.
- Move On. Cartwrights (Episode 16) - In this episode, the Zeta Beta Zeta sorority wants to reunite with the Omega Chi’s and Casey must face Evan. Rusty has a new crush and Dale helps him out.
- 47 Hours & 11 Minutes (Episode 17) - Casey and Rusty’s parents are in town to check up on them. Rusty hasn’t told his mom and dad that he’s in a fraternity, only that he was in a service fraternity. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Rebecca Logan’s father, Senator Logan.
- Mr. Purr-fect (Episode 18) - Casey, Frannie and Rebecca have a bet who can coach a different fraternity in a series of games. Casey coaches the athletic Lamba Sigs (and falls for one of the guys), Rebecca coaches the Kappa Tau’s but because she is determined to win, it’s causing some friction with Cappie and also with some of the brothers of Kappa Tau.
- No Campus for Old Rules (Episode 19) - Casey bends sorority rules for Ashleigh but it causes some problems. Rusty starts to become attracted to Tina, the girl who wants to take down the Greek system.
- A Tale of Two Parties (Episode 20) - Omega Chi and Kappa Tau throw a party after their campus restrictions are lifted. But what can the Kappa Tau’s do without the funds to make a great party. Casey has a new guy in her sights.
- Barely Legal (Episode 21) - It’s almost time for Spring Break and Cappie has the brothers practicing with their fake ID’s. As for Casey, she goes to Evan to help her with LSAT’s and starts to wonder more about her future and what she wants to do after college.
- Spring Broke (Episode 22) - It’s Spring Break and the group heads out to the Beach. Cappie and Casey looks like their closer again and as for Evan, he gets closer to a Zeta Beta Zeta sister.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
Video is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1), enhanced for 16×9 televisions. There are a lot of outdoor and indoor shots and the series does have quite a bit of grain but nothing too distracting. Audio is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, the show is mostly dialogue-based but there are quite a bit of music featured in the episodes, which actually comes clear through your front speakers.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“GREEK: CHAPTER TWO” comes with a good number of special features including fun commentaries with the producers and talent of the show.
- Disc 1: Audio commentary by Executive Producer Patrick Sean Smith, actors Amber Stevens, Senta Moses and Paul James
- Disc 2: Audio commentary for “Freshman Daze” featuring commentary with Executive Producer Lloyd Segan and Actors Spencer Grammer, Scott Foster, Tiffany Dupont and Jake McDorman. Also, a commentary for “47 Hours & 11 Minutes” with co-executive producers Shawn Piller and Patrick Sean Smith and actors Jacob Zachar and Dilshad Vadsaria.
- Disc 3: Features Bloopers, Flashback Episode “And So It Begins” and the music video for “Natural Disaster” by the Plain White T’s.
The commentaries on both the first and second disc are quite enjoyable and it seems as the talent had a lot of stories to tell about the episode from a certain scene, clothes that they were wearing. So, there is quite a bit of humor and fun facts to learn while watching the commentary.
The blooper reel features a lot of fun bloopers and mistakes on the set such as shaken beer bottles to knocking over lamps. The Flashback episode is a 10-minute featurette and an interview with the staff who were pretty excited about doing the episode “Freshman Daze” (Episode 15) and a major reveal between the friendship and relationships focusing on Casey, Frannie, Cappie and Evan. And a music video for “Natural Disaster” performed by the Plain White T’s completes the bonus features on disc 3.
Also included is a code and information to download Plain White T’s “Big Bad World” song.
After watching “GREEK”, I definitely got into the series. I felt that Patrick Sean Smith (creator of the show) definitely had good concept of bringing a youth-based show not just on high school or college life but life for those who are part of the Greek system.
The characters are fun and although there are many people featured throughout the show, the main eight characters are pretty much what is focused on and overall, the chemistry among the actors are pretty good. That’s important. But will viewers identify with people in that system? Is it all about drinking, parties and games? Sure, “GREEK” does include that into the overall storyline and the writer’s find a way to help those not familiar with fraternities and sororities get a good idea of the challenges they face.
Most importantly, making the sure the dramatic storylines of each character is intact. And although the first half does focus on a scandal that hurts some of the GREEK fraternities and sororities, the second season focuses on dealing with the aftermath of the scandal but most of all, more character building storylines and allowing the viewer to find some attachment to the people we are watching.
I do wonder if the second season will show how far the writers will go in covering other areas of Greek life which so far has been quite positive (which is good) but maybe touching base on the negative ala the hazing, binge drinking, popular vs. not-so-popular fraternities/sororities, etc. in future episodes. I’m sure there are so many stories that can be developed from the Greek student life, so it will definitely be interesting to see how the writers take this series for the second season (which is currently airing on ABC Family right now).
Because of the Writer’s Strike, the first season of “GREEK” was like most television shows disrupted and thus, the first chapter was released on DVD first and the second right after.
But all in all, each episode was quite fun to watch, as the series progressed, I enjoyed the character driven episodes and also the flashback episode that helped give the viewers an idea of why certain relationships have went south.
The DVD featured enjoyable commentaries, especially to hear the talent so excited to watch the episodes and really have fun and talking about the things that went on during the filming and so forth. Especially to hear from those who have never watched the final cut of the episode and be surprised of certain scenes that were cut.
All in all, “GREEK: CHAPTER TWO” was enjoyable and fun to watch. Each episode was well-written, although I was expecting some sort of cliffhanger for the season finale but all in all, I have to admit that it was great to watch a college-based young adult drama since so much on television is concentrated on high school life. A solid series! Check it out!
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| TV Talk: December 29, 2008 - The City |
December 30, 2008 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Yesterday was the premiere of “The City” starring Whitney Port (of “The Hills”) and friends/co-workers in New York City. Last night, we got a double dose of Whitney’s life in NYC, starting on her new job in public relations for the fashion industry at Diane von Furstenberg and we also got a bit of drama in the second episode.
In the first episode titled “If She Can Make It Here…”, pretty much an introduction episode of Whitney, her boyfriend Jay and her co-workers.
In the second episode titled “The Truth Will Set You Free” features Whitney meeting up with a model guy Alan she once dated (this was featured on “The Hills”). Alan tells her that her current boyfriend is messing around with her ex behind her back and it sets up tense confrontation between Jay and Alan.
Hmm…I have a few thoughts on this series especially the people in it but I’ll hold off since I really want to see a few more episodes before I comment. Overall, I’m digging the show. Will need to see a few more episodes and see what happens here on then…. I dig Whitney and it’s great to see her have her own show! Look forward to more episodes.
