This Week in TV Blog Banter

It’s your weekly round-up of the best in TV blogs. What were bloggers bantering about last week? Check it out for yourselves and weigh in.

• Buzz was pretty delighted by her first glimpse of NBC’s Kath and Kim. (BuzzSugar)

• This week, Sandie shared her visit on the set of The Closer. (Daemon’s TV)

• Getting ready for Burn Notice’s second season, Rae shares her talk with Props Master Charlie Guanci, Jr. (RTVW)

• Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, kids of all ages, Scooter McGavin proudly presents to you possibly the greatest television show of all time: I Love Money. (Scooter McGavin’s 9th Green)

• Vance is looking forward to getting burnt all summer with a new season of Burn Notice! (Tapeworthy)

• This week, Jace gave a rare second chance to HBO’s upcoming vampire drama True Blood (from Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball), taking a look at the pilot installment’s revised version and the series’ second episode, kicking off this September. But did he change his tune about the series this time around? (Televisionary)

• In his quest to find something — anything — to watch on TV, he uncovered an internet music series based out of France. And, believe you me, the clip he found by Menomena is probably the cutest thing he has seen all year. Honest. (TiFaux)

• The TV Addict has the scoop on Grace Park’s first post – BATTLESTAR GALACTICA project [the TV Addict]

• Petrozza from Hell’s Kitchen badmouthed Matt and Jen and we kinda loved him for it. (TV Filter)

Dear John Krasinski…

Please eat a hamburger.  Unless this is just an unfortunate angle, you are making me worry.  Come home to Boston and let your Mom cook you a meal. Pam Beesly likes a man with a little meat on his bones (that’s what she said).

This comes from a place of love. That is all.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (Act I) – Live Now

It’s here…it’s finally here!  Act I “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is finally live, and good governor it’s incredible!  I expected it to be good, I mean we are talking Joss Whedon here, but this is fraktastic!

I don’t care what you’re doing…stop right now and head over to www.drhorrible.com to watch the first installment.  It’s only online for a few days, so don’t put it off or you’ll miss out.  Why are you still reading this?  Go already!!

(And then come back and tell me what you thought.  Unless you didn’t like it and then I don’t want to hear from you because you clearly have no taste.)

Neil Patrick Harris – I don’t know when we will meet.  Maybe it will be at Comic Con, maybe it will be at some other random time in the future.  But we will meet, and you sir will make me the happiest TV blogger in all the land.  Bravo!

Letters to My TV Set….

One of my very favorite bloggers, and one of the funniest ladies around, Jennifer Eolin, will be sharing some of her very funny writing with GiveMeMyRemote.com this Fall.  I am truly honored.  For those of you who are already a fan of Jennifer either through her MySpace blog and/or her hilarious PROJECT RUNWAY recaps know just how fantastic she is.  For those of you who are new to Jennifer…read on and I’m sure you too will be a fan.

“Letters To My TV Set”
by Jennifer Eolin

Dear Project Runway,
Hello, old friend! How are you? It’s been a few short months since last we met. So it is with all due respect that I ask this very important question: WHAT THE F, MAN?? Are you trying to destroy my soul???

Your new (and last season) on Bravo starts on Wednesday and the promotion for the show is A) scant, B) vague and C) frustrating. You seem to be missing a key element to promoting Season 5: THE DESIGNERS. I’d ask, “Where’s Andre?” but he’s all over the promos and UNLESS he’s coming back (YES??!??) this campaign blows bobbins.

Where are those fun teases where we hear the new designers saying ridiculous things like, “I’ve got it all sewn up!” or “I’ll rule the runway!” And my favorite, “I came here to win!” (Why can’t someone be honest and say: “I’m trying not to crap my pants!” or “I want to tongue Tim Gunn!”) I just want to SEE a designer so I can believe that you really are coming back on July 16th. Even your article in Entertainment Weekly is vague.

I’m worried that you may phone in this season on Bravo since it’s your last. I worry that Grandpa Gunn will arrive in a velour track suit and Heidi’s bangs will not have grown out in time for shooting. I worry that Michael Kors will man-up and that Nina Garcia will man-down. But most of all, I worry that the contestants will have insipid challenges such as “make a pair of socks out of Kleenex” or the ever so boring “just sew anything out of stuff and make it look like something.”

Look-it, Project Runway. You have one last season to maintain your dignity before you’re doing a double feature on Lifetime with “Psycho Women Killers Who Are Victims And Cry A Lot And Go To Jail But It’s Not Their Fault Cuz They Are A Victim.” So think about it and MAKE IT WORK, DAMMIT!

Watching (and blogging) what happens!
Jennifer (Eolin)

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Breaking News: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

A little SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE scoop this afternoon. One dancer is going home and a new partnership has been revealed.  So as not to spoil I’m going to throw this stuff after the jump.  If you don’t want to know, stop reading!

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PROJECT RUNWAY Struts Down the Catwalk Again This Week

Break out those sewing machines and dial up the attitude, because PROJECT RUNWAY is back.

The highly-anticipated fifth season of PROJECT RUNWAY kicks off on Wednesday, July 16th at 9pm on Bravo. This season’s designers will do their best not to get auf’d by host Heidi Klum. Helping them ‘make it work’ is the heart of the show, Tim Gunn. And as always Nina Garcia, and American designer Michael Kors will return as judges. This season, Michael, Nina and Heidi will have a little help from guest judges including Diane Von Furstenberg, Sandra Bernhard, Apolo Ohno, Brooke Shields, LL Cool J, RuPaul, Rachel Zoe, Cynthia Rowley and Francisco Costa. Shocked that designers Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag didn’t make the judging panel. There’s always next year.

So what’s in store for the 5th season, which until know has remained very hush hush? “I feel as though we set the bar higher every season,” said Klum. “We’ve got some truly talented, innovative and deeply creative designers this year, and I think it’s fair to say, the most diverse everyone from a rocker chick who mostly works with leather to a more bohemian, surfer boy and everything in between.”

“Season after season the designers have amazed us,” said Tim Gunn, mentor to the designers. “They have different DNA, different chemistry within each other and different views their creative aptitude is right on par but how to characterize them? That’s up to the audience!”

If you’re interested the list following are the 16 new “Project Runway” designers:

• Blayne, 23 – Hometown: Yakima, Wash.; Resides in Seattle, Wash.
• Daniel, 25 – Hometown: Great Barrington, Mass.; Resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Emily, 27 – Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Jennifer, 27 – Hometown: East Syracuse, N.Y.; Resides in Pistoia, Italy
• Jerell, 28 – Hometown: Houston, Texas; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Jerry, 32 Hometown: Butte, Mont.; Resides in New York City
• Joe, 41 – Hometown/Resides in: Troy, Mich.
• Keith, 26 – Hometown/Resides in: Salt Lake City, Utah
• Kelli, 27 – Hometown/Resides in: Columbus, Ohio
• Kenley, 25 – Hometown: Pompano Beach, Fla.; Resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Korto, 33 – Hometown: Liberia; Resides in Mabelvale, Ark.
• Leanne, 27 – Hometown: Yuta, Calif.; Resides in Portland, Ore.
• Stella, 42 Hometown: Astoria, N.Y.; Resides in New York City
• Suede, 37 – Hometown: Seven Hills, Ohio; Resides in Barryville, N.Y.
• Terri, 39 – Hometown: Chicago, Ill.; Resides in Columbus, Ohio
• Wesley, 23 Hometown: Blackstone, Mass.; Resides in New York City

Are you going to be watching along with me? I can’t wait!!

What to Watch…Monday, July 14, 2008

Happy Monday GMMRers. I hope you all enjoyed a nice few days off from work, school, life, etc. There’s a lot to catch on TV tonight including some new premieres, so let’s get to it.

American Gladiators | 8pm on NBC
IThe semifinalists are determined when a New York City detective duels with a former marine in the men’s round. In the ladies tilt, a student tries to make the grade against a figure skater. Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali host.

Army Wives | 8pm on Lifetime
“Thicker Than Water”
Denise is the subject of gossip when she is seen off the base with Getti; Betty discovers her cancer is spreading, so she plans her dream vacation; and Roland spends time at the maternity ward with Denise to get parenting advice.

Nashville Star | 9pm on NBC
The final four are revealed after two acts are eliminated. [Are those Dixie Chick sisters still in the competition or did they get booted already? Ddker – are you still watching?]

The Closer | 9pm on TNT | Season Premiere
“Controlled Burn”
Brenda and the PHD are called in to assist with crowd control at Griffith Park, but when a woman’s body is discovered, they must head up the murder investigation; Brenda’s personal life heats up while living in close quarters with Fritz.

Saving Grace | 10pm on TNT | Season Premiere
“Have a Seat Earl”
Oklahoma City detective Grace Anadarko (Holly Hunter) is hailed as a hero at work after capturing a suspect on the FBI’s most wanted list, but the boss later interrogates the hard-living detective about her drinking habits.

The Mole | 10pm on ABC
At 9pm there is a special recap of previous episodes from Season 5 which also features additional footage. But at 10pm it’s an all new episode. The players go to great heights in a terrifying mission in order to earn a stay of execution.

Weeds | 10pm on Showtime
After a week sitting shiva, Nancy asks Andy to accompany her on another “mission”; Celia’s flirting with Captain Till intensifies; Doug surprises the Botwins by dropping in on them at their new digs.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl | 10:30pm on Showtime
Hannah has told best friend Ben about her other life as Belle, and he’s not dealing with it well; after a girl-girl threesome with an established customer, Belle makes friends with the other girl and then is hurt when the client books her instead.

What will YOU be watching tonight?

BIG BROTHER 10: I’ll Be Watching You

There was a story a couple of months back about an American student that was arrested in Egypt. On his way to the police station, before they took away his cell phone, he managed to Twitter the word ‘Arrested’. The ‘twit’ was received by his friends and colleagues who sprang into action to get him released.Why am I telling you this?  Well, because once again Twitter came to the aid of someone in need last night.  That person?  Me.

Completely preoccupied with playing with my new iPhone I completely blanked on last night’s season premiere of BIG BROTHER 10. But luckily for me, Rae from Ramblings of a TV Whore twittered about watching the show and I got to my TV in just the nick of time.  Whew.  I don’t want to even think of what would have happened if it weren’t for Rae. My first born is going straight to you my friend.

Lucky for us (or unlucky depending on your view) my drama wasn’t the only BIG BROTHER drama last night.  Nope, the sparks started flying about a minute after the new houseguests entered the house for the first time. (Note: this is a ridiculously long and self indulgent recap of last night’s premiere.  Don’t get used to it…there is no way BB10 will get these many words in the weeks to come.)

The game before the game…
For the first time in BB history the game began before the houseguests even got inside. After the obligatory and cheesy houseguest introductions (intro from teacher Dan:‘My name is Dan and I’m going to school the competition.’) the new roomies assembled on the stairs and heard for the first time heard the oh so familiar voice of the ChenBot.  Julie informed them that despite not yet having a chance to talk to one another, the houseguests were going to choose the first Head of Household (HOH) via secret ballot – before they were allowed into the house. The votes were cast but the HOH wouldn’t be revealed until later that day.  Nothing like having to kiss ass early in the game…but whose ass is worth smooching?  Damn, they had to be nice to everyone…I hate when that happens.

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Chuck Bartowski and Hellboy are BFF Gamers

Zachary Levi of CHUCK fame continues his ascent up the scale of awesome so it’s only fitting that Hellboy wants to be his new Morgan.  Who wouldn’t want to be?  And if hanging with Bartowski means a sick cross-promotion for a new movie then so be it.

Have I mentioned my love for Zachary Levi.  Is it Fall yet?  I miss CHUCK!

Enjoy!

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Guillermo’s WIPEOUT

If you’ve been reading GMMR, or listening to the TV Talk Podcast or following my Twitter updates, then you know I am loving ABC’s hit game show, WIPEOUT.  (I know, I know, it’s a rip off of some MXC show but I don’t care, I love it. ) I find myself laughing so loud that I’m worried that I will piss off my neighbors. So you can imagine how worried I was about getting evicted when I watched JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE’s Guillermo take on the WIPEOUT course!  Guillermo just standing there staring at the camera gets me laughing, so while watching this I was on the floor.

Even if you don’t watch either show it’s worth checking this out:

You Know, I Was Just Thinking…

The random thoughts in my head at 6:30am on a Friday. Take ’em for what it’s worth and leave the change by the door.

A note to all future suitors of Betty Suarez…get tested.  For a short little thing with bad hair, braces, and those glasses she sure gets a lot of play.  Beauty comes from within blah, blah, blah.  Only in Betty’s world does she get more play that Amanda (or Marc for that matter). What’s prompting this little outburst?  How about word that Val Emmich is joining UGLY BETTY as Jesse, a recurring character and potential love interest for Betty.  So just to recap, first it was a Betty love triangle featuring Walter and Henry.  The writers had us fall in love with Henry only to bring in Gio to compete for Betty’s affections and win (spoiler alert – Christopher Gorham (Henry) isn’t a series regular anymore).  And now it seems that they are setting up for a Gio vs. Jesse showdown?  Save a little for the rest of us, Suarez.

I understand that Mindy Kaling is a busy woman, but if I have to look at my iGoogle page and see “London Sole” one more time I might cry.  I’m really starting to hate those purple pumps.  If this make no sense to you than you aren’t a devoted reader of Mindy’s blog like I am.  Sister-friend, throw us a bone.  I hate shopping, could care less about fashion, can’t really afford a thing you talk about on your site, but you make me laugh like no other.

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Comic Con ’08 Schedule: Thursday, July 24, 2008

The official Comic Con schedule for Thursday, July 24th has just been released, and there are plenty of interesting TV-realted panels to keep me busy. The TV panels on Thursday include:

• PREVIEW NIGHT (Wednesday) Fringe – Screening Only (full panel on Saturday)
• Click & Clack’s As the Wrench Turns
• Kings
• 30th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Panel
• Knight Rider
• Torchwood
• The Middleman
• TV Costume Designers
• True Blood
• Dexter
• Comedy Central TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel

My schedule is a little TBD right now, but the panels in bold are the ones I’m hoping to attend.
Panel descriptions, times and room locations after the jump.

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Who Went Home on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?

Tonight’s elimination episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE was chock full of fabulosity.  So much so that the only time I reached for the fast forward button on my TiVo was during the commercial break.  The guest performers, the solos, everything was just fantastic.  Well, except for the eliminations but we’ll get to those in just a second.

The Top 12 opening number won’t go down as one of my favorites.  It had moments of real genius (did you see Gev climb up someone’s back?!), but overall it was lacking.  You know I love me some NappyTab but I found the choreography a bit tame for this point in the competition.  But had the dancers nailed it I don’t think I would have minded the choreography as much.  The blame for the lackluster opener falls on the shoulders of the Top 12.

Good thing for us all that the dancing got a hell of a lot better after the opening.

Two by two our dancing couples took their places next to Cat (who looked extra fabu tonight) and were told of their fate.  In the end the three couples left to dance for their lives were:

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Are You Going to Comic Con?

If you are going to be heading to Comic Con and might be willing to help out with GiveMeMyRemote.com’s coverage of the TV panels PLEASE leave me a comment and let me know.  The schedule is getting a little insane and there are going to be panels (like possibly THE OFFICE and LOST) that I’m not going to be able to attend.  I know?!  I can’t stand it.

But if you are going and would maybe want to share your thoughts on the panels or even some pictures with us I know I’d be grateful, but I’m sure your fellow GMMRers who can’t attend would also be happy to hear from you.

Win a BURN NOTICE Prize Pack

To celebrate tonight’s Season 2 premiere of BURN NOTICE (10/9c on USA), we’re giving away a fabulous BURN NOTICE prize pack which will be a treat whether you are already a BURN NOTICE fan or if you are a newbie who is going to be checking out the show for the first time tonight.

Why was Michael Westen burned? And what’s he gonna do about it? The answers every Burn Notice fan wants begin to take shape with the Season Two premiere. The new season also welcomes Battlestar Galatica’s Tricia Helfer as well as existing cast Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless.

To Enter: Just leave a comment letting me know if you are already a fan of BURN NOTICE or if you hope to be after tonight. The contest ends on July 31st so be sure to get those comments in.

One winner will receive a USA Network Burn Notice Beach Bag filled with:

• Burn Notice Season 1 DVD
• Burn Notice Book
• Burn Notice Towel
• Burn Notice T-Shirt
• Burn Notice Frisbee

I just became a fan of BURN NOTICE on Facebook and I think you should too. Join other fans on the official Facebook Fan Page or visit the official site at burnnotice.usanetwork.com.

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