Survival of the Fittest

We're almost half way there, people! Super premiere week rolls on and we have our very first ousted dancer on Dancing with the Stars.

*Spoilers*

Much to my chagrin, it was not "When a Man Loves a Woman" crooner/Nicolette Sheridan lover Michael Bolton that went home, but instead, they hassled the Hoff! That's right, David Hasselhoff, beloved Knight Rider rider/Baywatcher/German pop star David Hasselhoff was sent home. A travesty of justice, voters!

You must be the same people that kept Kate Gosselin around longer than Shannen Doherty. Shame on you.

Movin' on.

Tonight, ABC's "Modern Family" is back and I couldn't be more excited. But before that, "Better with You" premieres and I'm cautiously optimistic. The reviews have been sort of meh, but then again all the critics lovvvvvvved Lone Star and the headline in my inbox this morning said it might be canceled after one episode.

Clearly, no one knows anything.

Anyhoo, "Better With You" follows three couples in different love stages: newly engaged after a few weeks, dating for 9 years, and married for 35 years. Sure, the premise could get old (how many living together/Goldie Hawn + Kurt Russell jokes can they make? And they can't even dive into Susan Sarandon/Tim Robbins territory anymore!) but I'm a sucker for comedy so I'm willing to check it out.

Also tonight is NBC's premiere of the new J.J. Abrams spy drama, "Undercovers" Not sure if I'm still bitter at J.J. for "Lost" or feeling oversaturated on the spy front, but this show looks kind of lame to me. So it'll probably be a smash hit.

"The Whole Truth" is yet ANOTHER courtroom drama on ABC, this time promising to show both sides of the case to 'keep you guessing' about the outcome. Didn't we kinda do that on "The Practice" like 10 years ago? Anyway, it's got Maura Tierney and Rob Morrow, so there's that.

Last but not least, Survivor actually started last week, but if you want to see Nicaragua, a whole lot of trailer park trash and random contestant, ex-coach Jimmy Johnson compete for a million bucks, set the DVR to CBS.

Who will YOU be voting off tonight?

Monday Night Madness!

Wow. I went from watching Sex and the City re-runs again just to pass the time...to tonight's explosion of premieres and some super tv decisions to make. What to watch, what to watch. No doubt you are also feeling the DVR pressure. Might even be time to add another DVR.

(Or get a life.)

Anyhoo, as I was plotting my strategy on what to watch, it reminded me of an old drinking game I used to play, "Kiss, Kill, Marry". I don't remember how drinking played a part, but the concept is simple: given the names of three fictitious suitors, what would you do with each? You know, like "Kiss George Clooney, Kill Brad Pitt, Marry Jon Hamm".

Uh, or something like that.

There is so much crap premiering tonight that all I can say is, thank God I'm not a football fan, too, or I'd be really in trouble! So, since I'm not into fantasy football, let's play my little game:

KISS: The Event Yes, this looks like a keeper. Who doesn't love Blair Underwood in anything, really? But, I don't want to get too attached because it looks just like all those other high-concept shows that I get all into and the network pulls the plug around episode 7. The plot? It's about some big cover-up that even the president (Blair Underwood) didn't know about. Some regular guy who looks exactly like James Marsden (but is actually Josh Ritter) gets caught up in all of it while trying to find his missing girlfriend. Also, that chick that played Kerry Weaver on ER is a big part of it but she doesn't have any crutches.

KILL Dancing with the Stars I know, I know - I kinda wanna watch Jennifer Grey, too. Not tryin' to put Baby in a corner. But Bristol Palin? Really? How many times do you think the camera's going to cut to Mommie Dearest in the audience? I can't stomach that. Besides, you can catch the recap tomorrow instead of sitting through all 120 minutes of mush.

MARRY: Lone Star Not gonna lie, I'm really just jumping on all the other critics' bandwagons here, but I've already mentioned that this show about a guy living a double life looks pretty good to me. Plus, newcomer James Wolk has lots of potential as the next McDreamy-ish heartthrob type, and we need some more of those, no?

ON THE FENCE:

Hawaii Five-O I'll check it out because Scott Caan is hilarious. Jury's out on the guy from "The Backup Plan" (let's hope he's better in this) and, no offense to Daniel Dae Kim, but I just can't view him as anyone but Jin from Lost.

Chase If you're a Jerry Bruckheimer fan, this is for you, but I'm not overly excited, mainly because all of the marketing materials start out describing the female lead as a "cowboy-boot wearing deputy" and that sounds really lame. But, the premiere episode features Travis Fimmel, a model I worked with early in his career (name drop alert!) at Calvin Klein, and he was sweet as pie. So watch for him.

Just another manic Monday.

They Might Be Giants

Despite the recent cold snap, fall is still a ways off. But, never too soon to start DVR planning ahead! We've already talked about a few of the legal shows and Matt LeBlanc's long-overdue comeback vehicle...but what about some of these potential gems?

RAISING HOPE
Fox mashes up "Three Men + a Baby", a little "Baby Boom" and a dash of "Juno". Maybe a bit of "Raising Arizona".

Pros Nice to see Martha Plimpton still kicking around. The lead newcomer kid seems to have some promise. Is it just me or does he look like (a young) Crispin Glover?

Cons It's from the creators of "My Name is Earl"...and I'm pretty sure they reached the white trash quota in season one of THAT show. Also, probably a limit on diaper-catastrophe-hijinks plot lines.

Bottom Line When American Idol tanks because Fox blew getting Jlo as a judge, they'll need a hit. Give 'em some love.



SCHOOL PRIDE
NBC attempts tries to dig out of the hole they're in with feel good TV in this Extreme-Home-Makeover-for-Schools reality show.

Pros Who doesn't love a little feel good tv?

Cons These schools might need more than a fresh coat of paint.

Bottom Line The "hosts" seem a little random, but I'll support casting Miss USA Susie Castillo since she hails from the place where everybody knows her name. Also, it's like replaying the ending to "Lean on Me" every single week...and I love that movie!

Go ahead, try and not think of that theme song....



LONE STAR
Fox has another potential goodie on its hands with this series that's got serious buzz (my boyfriend even knew about this one, and he doesn't spend half his days scouring the internet for tv news like crazy me). The premise? It's about a really hot con man that lives a double life. And it's got Jon Voight.

Pros It's about a really hot con man that lives a double life. It's from the creators of "Party of Five". How can it lose?

Cons Could they have come up with a more original title? Googling it yields way too many John Sayles references, beer and country songs to slog through before I could find it on YouTube.

Bottom Line Weren't you listening? Hot con man? From the creators of "Party of Five"? Just watch it!

It's Not Brain Surgery

Ok, actually, it is.

*spoilers*

Maybe it was the exhaustion of clearing out all the clutter on my DVR from weeks of backlog, or maybe I'm just a hopeless sap (probably), but despite my frequent dissatisfaction with Grey's in recent seasons, I loved the Izzie "twist" wedding on the heels of her recent brain tumor. No, I wasn't exactly SHOCKED, but I kind of loved all the old school drama, and cried like a little girl who just got cut from her softball team. (Ok, FINE, that did happen to me. Softball is scary!)

But here's the thing...is there really anything left to wrap up in a finale? Aren't we like, done now for the summer?

Well, regardless, two hours are comin' at ya on Thursday, and here's what they are going to fill it with, based on the official press materials:

Izzie contemplates a risky surgery to save her life I predict a cliffhanging "Will she or won't she make it?" end, complete with requisite shot of flat-lining heart monitor. Duh.

Mark is ready to take his relationship with Lexie to the next level I don't think I've cared about a couple this little since Brandon dated that annoying reporter girl on 90210.

George delivers stunning news to Bailey, sending shockwaves throughout the hospital This poor dude has had nothing to do for months. Sounds like he's moving on, though who knows? Maybe he's going go on a shooting spree or something. That'd sure liven things up for his storyline. If he isn't leaving, he needs something to elevate him beyond a poor man's Dr. Carter from ER.

As for Meredith and Derek, they have really become the Annoyingtons, haven't they? I have no idea if they are getting married on Thursday, but they need something new to do, too. Give Derek a long lost child, or make the chief Meredith's REAL dad. Something.

One thing's for sure - medical dramas are STILL all the rage after all these years. NBC just announced not one but TWO new medical shows for fall.

Is it wrong that I'm starting to miss ER a little bit?

Party Like It's 1999

I know, I know, where the hell have I been? Can't a girl go on vacation? Zeesh! Well, I'm back with some tv goodies for ya. It's all gonna be ok now. Don't worry.

So I was very skeptical about the Clooney comeback to ER, but dang, those producers got it right, don'tcha think? They just slid Dr. Ross and Carol Hathaway right in there like they'd never left. Benton and Carter, too. No trendy time warp or flashbacks needed here (which, BTW I have an EFFIN headache from watching Lost and that stupid time machine wheel of fortune gizmo, but more about that another time).

Anyhoo, I think ER did it right and it was almost as though it was 1999 again. Actually, it feels a little 1999-ish now, doesn't it? Look around...Dr. Ross is in the house. Who Wants to be a Millionaire is all the rage (Ok, Slumdog style. Whatever). And Britney Spears is on tour.

But I must confess I miss that 1999 rush-home-to-see-my-show feeling. DVR kinda nukes that. I mean, I love my DVR. I love that I can rest easy knowing that all my 30 Rocks are getting stock-piled, and my Oprah's are safe and sound.

And I love knowing that even if my DVR gets all fried up, which HAS been known to happen, I feel sure I can just find that coveted show on-line.

I love all this new technology, and I'm even starting to learn what Twittering is (though seriously, folks, I don't need to know every time you have a cup of coffee. You know who you are.)

And I know you live blogger types will say there are some shows we do still watch in real time, but it's just not the same. Not to me.

Sigh. At least some things stay the same. Ten years later, my VCR is still blinking.

Yes, I also still have my VCR. Baby steps.

No Longer In Fashion

Even with all its gloss, NBC has pulled the plug on Lipstick Jungle.

Some thoughts as NBC says auf wiedersehen to the Jungle so they can focus on reviving dead guys on ER from like 5 seasons ago instead of investing in decent new shows:

I'm going to miss living vicariously through these chicks with the fake sounding names (Victory Ford? Really?) who conquered NYC with their power jobs and still seemed to have time for 3 martini lunches like every day. Wouldn't it be cool to have their jobs?

I'm going to miss obsessing over Andrew McCarthy's face. I still can't figure out what's different about it from his St. Elmo's days and was looking forward to finally figuring it out.

But mostly, I'm going to miss seeing Brooke Shields. I've always been rooting for Brooke, even if she did chuck her feud with Tommy Cruise to attend his alien wedding.

I know Brooke will be ok though. This girl has staying power.

But, please, oh please, do NOT let her and her Calvins become Suddenly...Susan.

Show me the funny!

Man oh man, have I gotta get a job. The other day, I spent a full 20 minutes engaged in a discussion of the subtle differences between two shades of nail polish: do I choose "Berry Hard" or "Lacy, not Racy"? Hmmm. Somewhere in the world is the person whose job it is to come up with these nail polish names. Maybe a new career for me?

As usual, I digress.

So, with not much to do but job hunt and try to avoid news about the economy, I have made it my mission to find more funny, because frankly, watching Suze Orman tell me how totally screwed I am is Halloween-level scary.

And so I (and I'm guessing YOU) really need a pick me up.

First, I snuck a peek at the season premiere of 30 Rock. Yes, I couldn't wait. Kind of like how I used to always find the Christmas presents my mother hid every year. Seriously, mom, no other hiding locations besides the bathroom closet?



Anyway, 30 Rock is back! I was worried Tina Fey wouldn't be able to shake the Sarah Palin persona, but no need to doubt the fabulous Fey. So, if you are in need of a little FUN yourself, click here and sneak a peek, too, or you can watch it live on NBC, Thursday at 9:30pm (how retro of you).

And speaking of retro...it's rare that I suddenly get into a show so late in the game, but I have recently started watching and loving The New Adventures of Old Christine. I thought it was just going to be more recycled Elaine bits (see: Frasier), but this show is so much more. Sure, it's a bit of Julia being, well, Julia, but the writing is sharp, biting, and pushing boundaries. Check it out, Wednesdays on CBS at 8pm.

Now, I was going to wind up this little ditty by telling you I was going to give "The Ex List" another chance. I am still in search of more fun, and several people recently told me they LOVE it. Alas, happy-seekers, CBS has pulled the plug.

Well, kids, look on the bright side. Sweeps is just around the corner. Let the celebrity publicity stunts begin!!!

Welcome back to the Jungle!

So I got a sneak peak at the season 2 premiere of Lipstick Jungle today (coming to NBC on Sept 24th at 10p). I am happy to report, these gals have come a long way, baby!

Now, I know you have a lot of big decisions to make in the next few weeks. So many choices - how will you decide what to add to your DVR list?

I'm here to help you make an informed decision, so here's the skinny (since no fat is allowed in these glamour gals' lives) on Lipstick Jungle:

The Good Kim Raver plays the best "laughter through tears" scenes you'll see in awhile (Yes I am quoting Dolly Parton from Steel Magnolias here. I've been waiting for an opportunity to do that since it came out in 1989.). I'm not going to ruin it for you, but you're going to want to see what happens next. Let's just hope it involves more of that guy she had an affair with last season, even if the writers did unwisely decide to name him Kirby. I'm sorry, I will make an exception for the Emilio Estevez character in St. Elmo's Fire, but in general, only cute puppies should be named Kirby. Period.

The Bad While I am actually LOVING the casting of Rosie Perez as Victory Ford's (Lindsay Price) publicist, why does she have to have one of those fake TV jobs? She is Victory's publicist, but she is also talking to real estate agents to try and find new space for Victory's store?? Um, I don't think so. Jobs on TV are never accurate. Remember when Billy Campbell on Melrose Place was like an account guy but also somehow wrote copy? Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, I hate that!

The Could Be Ugly I'm not sure yet about Mary Tyler Moore as Brooke Shield's mom. I wanna love her, because...well, she's Mary-Freaking-Tyler-Moore...but she might fall into the cliché category. Too soon to tell.

Overall, it was good though. But please, bring back Lorraine Bracco! She was the best bitch EVER last season. That would guarantee this show on the must-see-tv list for sure.

Everything Old is New Again

It's upfront week, and NBC has announced their new fall lineup. There's not a lot of new shows here....and the ones that are new? Well, let's just say I'm feeling a bit like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Desperate to try and steal ABC's viewers of LOST, this fall NBC offers Crusoe, based on the novel from...1719. Also coming soon: Moby Dick, the series. Just kidding, ANIMAL PLANET!!!!! Don't get any ideas.

Also, on NBC, perhaps learning nothing from the Bionic failure of The Bionic Woman, Knight Rider is set to make a comeback, but it doesn't look like David Hasselhoff has much of a role, if any.

I don't know about this...I would not hassle the Hoff!

My Own Worst Enemy is a new spy drama starring Christian Slater and the perfect title if the series were written by his ex-girlfriends where he plays two dudes in one; one lives in the suburbs and the other is a spy, yet they are both in the same body. Which I guess means "Schizo-Spy" wasn't available as a title. It does seem worth checking out, but what IS it about Christian Slater these days that makes him seem...so...oily?

Lastly, ER is coming back for its 15th and final season. Will they lure Clooney back? Will Mark Greene rise from the dead? Will John Stamos continue to look hot?

Stay tuned. And hopefully, we won't find out it was all just some kind of dream...elsewhere.

Today Sweeps Me On My Feet

The Today Show announced the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse that First Lady Laura Bush is guest-hosting an hour of the show next week.

This is how they ramp up to sweeps? By furthering some legacy-preserving agenda of the Bush administration? Besides, let's not pretend to be news-y, Today Show producers. Not when "Battle of the wines: Boxed vs. bottled" is an actual headline of a segment on your show.






While I'm ranting, isn't it about time that Al Roker stop intro'ing every local weather report with "That's what's going on around the country..." Dude says this no matter WHAT they are coming out of. It's really weird. Surely I can't be the only one who notices this? I mean, it makes sense when he actually gives the weather...around the country, but when he is talking about, say, lightbulbs, maybe he should mix it up a bit.

I'm just saying.

At least I'm excited for "Where in the World is...Matt Lauer". I do love that catchy little theme song. But, where in the world is The Today Show I used to love?!

Get Lost

*SPOILERS*

It's no secret I have commitment issues. I can't stick with shows like "The Biggest Loser" because it's too much WORK. All those hours to watch people cry and run up hills with, like, cement blocks strapped to them is just too much. So, even though I watched the first few eps of "The Biggest Loser: Couples" this season, I kinda gave up.

But I love me some tear-jerkin' finale.

So, I DVR'd said finale and had all of these random thoughts as I watched while eating Ritz crackers slathered in cream cheese for dinner because that's all that's in my fridge besides some old mayonnaise and those soy sauce packets that come with sushi:

-Am I going to get hate mail if I admit I thought, 'would it kill Alison Sweeney to do some tricep exercises to host this show'?

-Why does that lady Bette-Sue wear bifocals 24/7 like she's about to grade my english mid-term?

-Is trainer Bob wearing an ascot?!

-When I see a shot of a contestant shoveling in food in a 'before' video, it's pretty hard not to picture the producer saying, "can you just take ONE more bite of the hoagie?"

-Am I actually crying because that dude with the faux-hawk lost 136 pounds?

OK, TWO freaking hours of build up for that Ali chick to win a quarter of a million bucks and to be the "first woman in Biggest Loser history to win" and they roll credits before she gets to talk?

Now THAT is the biggest loser thing to do of all.

Detoxing in the E.R.

*SPOILERS*

I may have overdone it this weekend. I may have O.D.'d on reality TV.

Though I've only watched the Real World sporadically over the years (Seattle & Hawaii spring to mind), I decided to watch the 20th anniversary reunion special on MTV. What can I tell you..it was a weekend. I followed up that ditty with the finale of Rock of Love.

Now, there were moments of good in both. As far as the Real World Special, I totally cried at the Pedro Zamora flashbacks. And, on Rock of Love, I'm so happy the producers Bret picked Ambre instead of that tranny-looking mess, Daisy.

Now here's the bad. The Real World special was largely a big giant party filled with Real World alums getting trashed and fighting with each other. Imagine if you brought a video camera to a kegger in college and watched it back the next day - it might be funny to you...not so funny to anyone else.

Except here a lot more people are closer to 40 than 20 and it's supposed to be entertainment. It wasn't. It was a lot of yelling and bleeped out expletives...which was exactly what I grew tired of on Rock of Love (well, that and Bret in a tank top...give it up dude, or lay off the Fritos and beer).

And so I'm just so glad E.R. is back. It's a much needed tonic for what ails me. I know, I know, we've talked about this - you don't watch it. But, let me tell you, if this show premiered for the first time NOW and it wasn't season 112 14, you'd totally be all, Did you SEE that new hospital show?!
It's not your mother's E.R. It's grittier and much more layered than in the days when we all just watched to swoon over Clooney.

Plus, as an added bonus, I discovered two new songs they played during the episode that were simply stellar. You MUST check out Duffy's version of "Mercy". This chick's the next Amy Winehouse, for sure. And James Carrington's "Ache" was equally awesome.

Anyway, I'm just so glad the new dramas are back. I've been watching so much reality TV that all the fights and yelling were making me feel...icky.

Plus, if I'm really jonesing for some violence, I'll just wait for LOST to come back.

Proud as a Peacock

I know the TV Ad people don't have it easy. There's pressure to have a clever catchphrase, you compete with massive competition, and it's pretty rare to be truly memorable. When it works, though, it works well.

Somewhere in the world is the person who came up with the phrase "Must See TV". That person is pretty proud of himself.

Inexplicably, I still remember this 1977 ABC "Still the One" campaign even though I was practically a zygote when it came out.

And this 1982 ditty still sorta stays with me, too.

But, sometimes, the campaigns are a little less than successful. In this [not so new] era of the internet, the ad peeps also have to find new and exciting ways to grab our technologically-maxed-out-ADD attention spans.

And sometimes they fail.

On NBC's Website, I stumbled upon the fact that they are offering up old "The A-Team" episodes online. With all due respect to Mr. T, I don't really care, but further links promised other vintage shows, so I was pysched. However, this promise of more retro programming landed me on this link entitled "Way Back Wednesdays", containing possibly the most random assemblage of tv shows ever, including The A-Team, Battlestar Galactica, and Emergency! Don't forget the exclamation mark!

And so I'm trying to picture how this meeting went: Ok, so this is all we could scrape up the rights to. How do we brand this? How about one of these: They all have people! At least two star Dirk Benedict! Some start with the letter B!

Instead, they landed on...Way Back Wednesdays, not because you can, like, only view them on Wednesdays (though that would've actually made more sense to me) but I am assuming it's because they all shared that dreaded mid-work week slot back in the day. Which i guess means that like 20 years from now you can watch Supernanny on this very site.

Anyway, I guess thanks to me, now you know. And that's... One to Grow on.

Putting their Eggs in Trump's Basket

For a second you probably thought Rosie and the Donald were having a love child. Now THERE'S a reality show in the making! But no, that's not what we're talking about here.

These are desperate times...at the networks. As the strike roars on, the original programs are almost all gone. So, NBC isn't screwing around. They long for the days when Seinfeld and Friends ruled the roost instead of clinging to Howie Mandel as their ticket out of bad-ratings-ville, but, let's face it, reality shows are now their bread and butter (this means you Biggest Loser!).

Actually, maybe bread and butter is the wrong metaphor here, but you get the gist.

Scrappy NBC announced Celebrity Apprentice was set to debut Jan 10th, so ABC thew up their last new Grey's Anatomy episode against it to well, excuse the phrase, cock block NBC.

Within hours, NBC moved up Celebrity Apprentice to January 3rd so their competition would be repeats. I love this! Good old fashioned network wars. In fact, by the time you read this, the schedule could've changed AGAIN. Whatcha gonna doooooooo, Donald, cry??!?!?!

In this corner, the Peacock. In the other corner, a Mouse.

Who is YOUR money on?

Mr. Big (s)

This past week, ABC rolled out both Dirty Sexy Money AND Big Shots, both [not to oversimplifiy it] about rich guys. But, Big Shots is about much HOTTER rich guys, and is much campier, escapist fare. Dirty Sexy Money is pretty campy, too, but it feels like it might *try* to be more serious. My problem with it though is that the characters were such cliches...I mean that kid that played Jeremy Darling, the drug addict rich kid? He was SO some kind of sad Less than Zero parody. I'm going to give it a [big] shot, though, probably because I'm brainwashed by ABC's PR machine. They seem to have more of THEIR dirty sexy money behind this one. You can already go to their site and see a full episode, and at least here in NYC, the billboards are EVERYWHERE.

Regardless, Big Shots just got me right away. True, it's just the male Desperate Housewives, but it's pure sug-ah, especially with the one two punch of Dylan McDermott AND Michael Vartan, who both look like they've stepped out of a Bruce Weber ad. The dialogue is snappy and fun, and I can't wait to see what happens next week on this soapy soap.

Moving around the dial, I also checked out Life. I'm kind of into it, though I was absolutely annoyed to the point of distraction by the shooting style of the inserted "documentary" pieces that are used as a storytelling device. If you're not familiar, this is NBC's offering about a wrongly accused cop who goes to jail for murder, then is freed years later with a gazillion dollar settlement and becomes a cop again. It's worth a second look.

And, not to leave the gals out, I also gave Bionic Woman a chance. Also heavily hyped, I wanted to like it even though it's not my typical fare. I couldn't get into it, and frankly wasn't really sure what was going on half the time. But, the plot went something like this [I think]: girl gets in car accident that may or may not really be an accident with boyfriend and is brought to some Lost-ish medical facility where she gets all of her bionic parts. Then we find out her boyfriend is in on it, the people there want her to fight crime, or commit crime...I'm not really sure. Then some other bionic dissenter wants to kill her and/or her boyfriend who may or may not also be a criminal. Mostly, all of these people seemed to very baaaaaaad people. I think.

Oh, and Miguel Ferrer, aka George Clooney's cousin, is in it. Don't ask me why I know this.

Wardrobe Malfunction

Oh dear. As if NBC doesn't have enough problems, early peeks at Lipstick Jungle's promos reveal that they are in need of a new wardrobe stylist, stat! The Sex and the City wannabe (there are so many this season) boasts Brooke Shields arguably as its biggest name. Not to discount Kim Raver from 24, or that girl (Lindsay Price) that played Steve's baby mama on 90210, but let's be honest, Brooke is a legend.

So why are they dressing her like a man...no, worse, like a woman in 1998????

Everything I've seen thus far has shown her in boxy man-suits that aren't sexy at all, but worse, these promo stills have her in [needle off the record]....LEATHER PANTS!!! This is a travesty even worse than the animal print shoes they all have on that are practically special ordered from the "slutty cliche wardrobe" section at Central Casting.

I don't mean to make it "Pick on NBC" week. After all, I think getting Jerry Seinfeld to guest star on the season premiere of 30 Rock is like, the best thing ever. Now if only I didn't have to wait till October.

Yadda yadda yadda...

Rhymes with Zucker

My blogger-vation is over. Did ya miss me?

For the uninitiated, Jeff Zucker is President and CEO of NBC Universal. His claim to fame, besides his rapid ascension up the tv ranks, is his PT Barnum-like knack for promotion.

These days, though, NBC is sorely lagging behind in the Must See TV category, and their Web Promotion isn't doing them any favors. As we pass these long summer days with some bad reality tv and [gasp] outdoor recreation, at least we can start preparing our Tivo's for the new shows, right? Well, sort of. Go to ABC's site: it's slick and easy to navigate and you can view previews for the fall. CBS has a fun, interactive Fall Showcase, sponsored by Tivo. But NBC?

For shame, for shame.

NBC's preview link is easy to miss, but if you find it, the link is to a TWENTY-FOUR minute fluff promo [read: we have no shows to promote] hosted by JJ Abrams favorite charity hire, Greg Grunberg.

I was still sympathetic. It must be hard to know your best days are behind you. So, I was happy to go down memory lane and visit that golden age when I saw a link to the NBC "Vault". It promised you could "relive the memories of your favorite NBC shows". Excited to indulge in some retro viewing, I was ready for links to Cheers, Family Ties...hell, even ALF! But, no. The links were to those other classics...The Apprentice and Fear Factor. Are you freaking kidding me? I feel so betrayed.

But, what else can you expect from a network whose future depends on John Stamos on the 87th season of ER. Get it together Zucker! You're also forcing the Today Show (the show that launched your career) to cannibalize itself by adding ANOTHER hour? How many makeovers can one show possibly do a week!

Oh well. In the meantime, enjoy a preview of ABC's upcoming answer to Sex and the City. And yes, in a weird twist of irony that IS the girl that played Ross' girlfriend now playing a lesbian.