A little while ago Hugh Hefner teased on his Twitter page that Marge Simpson fans would have a treat in store for them in the November issues of Playboy. Turns out as next month’s cover of Playboy reveals (see right), Marge is stripping for her fans.
So does anyone else find is downright bizarre that a relatively benign PG-show like The Simpsons is stooping to this level of debasement? Series creator Matt Groening has always made a serious effort to keep his show from veering down that path, so why now?
Surely one might expect such behavior from a Seth MacFarlane matriarch like Family Guy’s Lois, but Marge has always been way too wholesome and morally upright. I guess even I’ll be tempted to buy next month’s issue - if for nothing else, than sheer curiosity.
When you read interviews with Seth Macfarlane, you always get the impression that the guy has a chip on his shoulder, and this chip is fat, yellow and his wife has blue hair.
You get the impression that Seth feels that The Simpsons is Fox’s favorite son, while Family Guy (and American Dad,) is more of an unwanted sibling. And Fox preferring The Simpsons makes a lot of sense for obvious reasons.
But now Mcfarlane has a reason to be proud. Family Guy is only the second animated show to be nominated for an Emmy for best comedy series. No disrespect to the Simpsons, but not even Homer and Marge managed to do so. By the way, the first animated show to be nominated in this category was The Flintstones back in 1961.
The chances that Peter Griffin will actually win the Emmy are slim (have we mentioned 30 Rock yet?) But still, the acknowledgement is also important.
According to an article in this week’s Newsweek, Israeli TV is quickly becoming the hottest commodity to hit Hollywood since Ben Stiller did his Derelicte schtick in Zoolander. Not to nuke the fridge here, but with acts like Yael Naim picking up steam in MacAir commercials and shows like HBO’sIn Treatment (B’tipul) managing to muster a modest, but staunchly loyal cult following, it’s not at all surprising that TV and film execs are looking to Israel to provide them with some much needed fresh and original programming. Have you seen NBC’s and ABC’s Summer programming? There’s not one show among the bunch that’s not reality TV.
It’s telling of Israel’s rising popularity and perhaps indicative of its viability as a fixture in the entertainment industry that network TV had followed in the footsteps of HBO and chosen to add and adapt an Israeli show, Mythological X, (about love, nonetheless) to their Fall roster. (To sneak a preview of The Ex-List, click here)Loaded, a FOX-produced show about dot-com millionaires is also slated to air in the Fall.
But aside from the creative, engaging story lines that Israel seems to have the capacity to deliver, why has Hollywood looked to another country to fulfill what seems to be a gaping hole in the U.S. entertainment industry at present? To quote Joshua Alston, “Israeli shows are cheap”:
“In Treatment” premiered new episodes five days a week over nine weeks. “We’re used to doing 12 or 13 episodes per season,” says HBO executive Michael Lombardo. “The cost-effectiveness of the show is what enabled us to take on this huge commitment of 45 episodes.
“The relatively low cost will allow U.S. networks to try out Israeli formats and give them space to find an audience. “In Treatment” premiered to sluggish numbers that would spell trouble for a pricier show. But it built steam by the end of the season, and performed well enough relative to its cost that HBO will launch a second season this fall.
What may be considered “shoestring budgets” by U.S. standards is fueling the passion and stamina of Israel’s entertainment industry and in turn delivering a premium product at a bargain rate. And as long as this translates to the end result being more Gabriel Byrne, then I’m one happy gal.
During the recent writers strike, we’ve been bombarded with TV shows that on normal days would never even be considered for American prime time TV or for any time actually. Now that the strike is finally over, and the writers are back at their desks, writing like there is no Mañana, and just before we are going to watch their recent creations, here are the four lowest levels of TV entertainment. Counting from worst to better:
Level 4: Reality TV: I know people are addicted to reality TV, and I understand that the desire to peak into other people’s lives might cause resistance to this post by those people. Nevertheless, Reality TV has the same features as Porn. Like porn it is being semi- directed, the participant are semi- actors, using semi- script. And the most important thing is: The viewers are convinced that they are watching the real thing. Well they are not.
Exceptions: One, The Biggest Loser. This show actually encourages people to take positive steps in improving their lives.
Level 3: Season long contests: This level is dedicated to some of the most watched shoes in the country, and includes but not limited to: American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, The Apprentice, and more. These shows are rubbish. The joy of looking at 3 judges, so full of themselves, criticizing and slaughtering the poor contestants who should have probably known better then to participate in the first place. Recent revelations regarding the new season of American Idol only emphasis how these shows are handled, by who, and for what purpose.
Exceptions: None.
Level 2: Substitute Game Shows: These are horrible, the worst of the worst. These shows were rejected by the networks, but still managed to film a couple of episodes. And just because something happened (like a writer’s strike,) they are being aired. Last night’s My Dad Is Better Then YourDad was and amazing example, in normal times, this show will not pass as a substitute for an infomercial. And don’t you start talking to me about Seinfeld, who started as a substitute, it wasn’t a game show.
Exceptions: None.
Level 1: Game Shows: There are all sorts of game shows, so excuse me for gathering all of them under one roof. Game Shows are what we watch when there is nothing else on, or when we are waiting for one of our favorite shows to start. It is often extremely boring, and may cause you to fall asleep earlier then what you had planed. But there are good sides to the genre: A. No need to follow up. You don’t need to wait a whole season to see who won. B: After a hard day, when your brains can’t take any more information, it’s a guarantee these shows will not make it harder on you.
Exceptions: One, Moment Of Truth. This show should not have been produced at whole, absolutely terrible.
Family Guy Re-runs became such a necessity since the writers strike started, but how many more times can we see the same episodes? I was never a Seth MacFarlane fan, but I am a Peter Griffin one. And although Blue Harvest is out and running with it’s fancy special edition thing, I know I’m not the only one who craves a few new chapters in the Rhode Island’s most famous family. Like the time we went to the beach and Stewie wet his diaper….
Last night’s new episodes of 30 Rock, and the one of My Name Is Earl, were the exception that proves the rule. There is nothing to see on TV. With the writers strike going nowhere, we are stuck with a bunch of crappy reality shows, and with Jay Leno who writes his own stuff…
One might think, that with the lack of good TV, we would embrace different activities such as poetry or at least go to the gym, but the fact is that we just keep on starring at the screen and as usual being stuffed with shit. Only this time, the shit stinks more. Please come back writers, we need you.
I have a dilemma. On one hand, I really don’t like Seth Macfarlane. He is very annoying , and when I watched him last week in that preview to the Family Guy 100 episode I almost made me vomit (I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear that.) In short, a serious A- hole. But on the other hand, I still think that Family Guy is one of the best shows on TV. Each character has its importance, and the absurd is always in place, in bad taste but very funny. So long live Family Guy, and Seth, try not to show yourself too much OK?
This week on TV was all about the fall lineup with new shows and season premiers. If you have read this blog in the past, it is needless to mention how much I waited for the return of my favorite shows Heroes and The Office. While the first was somewhere between OK and good, The Office was hilarious, and proved once again that it is the best TV show in a very long time. I also tried to watch as many new shows as possible, and I realized that A. NBC tries harder. and B. Most of what I saw didn’t have an original and refreshing feel to it, and I doubt if they will be watched again on our TV. There are almost two exceptions here. Fox’s Back To You with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, and NBC’s Chuck with Zachary Levi. The Back To You pilot was not so good but I felt some sort of chemistry between the two veteran actors. From what I read, only six episodes were filmed, and I’m not sure if the show will last beyond it. Chuck was a success. It wasn’t great but it was well done. Everything was in place, the story is good, and the actors are likable.
I’ve been looking forward to the end of September ever since the beginning of May when I was left wondering just why Charlie may or may not have been killed off the island, how many new Fall shows the Heroes phenomena would spawn, and who would be the next cast of D-list celebs breaking onto the Dancing With The Stars scene.
As it turns out, September is here and the season doesn’t hold better TV than what’s airing today and tomorrow. Tonight marks the return of two of my favorite shows on TV-Simpsonsand Family Guy. For those of us who got some sort of interim Simpsons fix this Summer having watched the Simpsons movie, we were left with ravenous appetites which only called more attention to the lingering gap left behind last season after Homer saved Mr. Burns from a fatal mall accident involving a fountain. So now we’re on to this season, Mr. Burns debt of gratitude to Homer and Mr. S taking stock of his life with the help of life coach, Stephen Colbert. (yeah, we’re not kidding) And all this in the first episode of the season…
Tonight’s Family Guy has patriarch Peter Griffin enlisting the help of the Star Wars saga to entertain his family when their power goes out. Brian the dog as Chewbacca and Quagmire as C-3PO have my head spinning already. Not to mention the juxtaposition of life sabers and Darth Vader (Stewie). Well, who better to destroy the Griffin household than Stewie, after all…And while the Curb Your Enthusiasmpremiere aired a few weeks ago already, tonight is a new episode in the unfolding dramedy involving Larry, Cheryl, the Dansons, and the Blacks (the family they adopted from the Hurricane).
Conflicts/Footnotes to Sunday night premiere week: Cold Case is back as well tonight and personally, for me, this show is compelling enough (if I can drown out the slow-mo soundtrack of your life anecdotes coupled with the morally righteous preachy ending long enough). One thing this show is a testament to is the power of the band Coldplay. As long as this show is around, that band isn’t going anywhere.Tomorrow night is perhaps one of the most exciting TV premiere days of the week. With the return of Dancing with the Starsand the premiere of the much-anticipated show Chuck, be sure to check back here tomorrow for more of a preview of the two hottest shows of the season.
Till then, get your comedy on for Sunday night! It will help you get thru the work week, or at least put your attitude in the right place.
Steve Carell was the highlight of the Emmys as was seeing the cast of The Office before the show’s season premiere gets underway next week. The worst part, this year’s choice of host:
As a side note, we all get how big The Sopranos was as both a TV and cultural phenomenon, but does the show need to be nominated in the same category (Best Writing) for four different episodes? How well does that bode for the crew of Lost and Battlestar Gallactica - the only two other shows nominated.
Just a small update: Last night we went to the premiere of The Simpsons Movie. It was awesome. If you are a Simpson fan, this will be the movie of the year for you. If you watch the show occasionally, it will be the best movie you saw lately. If you like Family Guy and South Park but not so much the simpsons, you will still have a great time. If you hate the Simpsons, you are not reading this so I don’t really care… In short, The Simpsons Movie is like one long episode of the show only edgier and even funnier. Oh and yes, Bart shows everything!!! Go watch the movie.
The Simpsons started as a series of animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. To celebrate The Simpsons Movie here’s a taste of the good old’ days. Don’t be surprised if the faces and voices of the family are somewhat different then what we are used to.
I can’t get Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talking” out of my mind since my husband told me about the film Midnight Cowboy, the first X-rated film to ever win an Academy Award for Best Picture. Of course, the film, released in 1969, would be PG-13 by today’s standards, but still the adult themes are genuine, poignant, and well, very raw. Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voigt are at their best in this film as two friends trying to live above the poverty line in New York and barely scraping by on Voigt’s soliciting of himself. Which, speaking of prostitution, there is a performance by veteran actor John McGiver as a gay man Voigt comes into contact with that MUST be the inspiration for Seth McFarlane’s Stewie from “The Family Guy.” The facial expressions, mannerisms, voice, and face are pure, unadulterated Stewie.
The new Seth McFarlane show “Winner” did not air tonight. I am not sure why, but I have to say, it doesn’t make me sad at all, not to watch a weird 32-year-old dude, hanging out with a kid, while fantsizing about the kids mom? WTF? And speaking of Seth McFarlane, what’s going on with the anti-semite jokes both on tonight’s “Family Guy” and “American Dad.” Tell us what scares you Seth…
A little while ago Hugh Hefner teased on his Twitter page that Marge Simpson fans would have a treat in store for them in the November issues of Playboy. Turns out as next month’s cover of Playboy reveals (see right), Marge is stripping for her fans.
When you read interviews with Seth Macfarlane, you always get the impression that the guy has a chip on his shoulder, and this chip is fat, yellow and his wife has blue hair.
Level 3: Season long contests: This level is dedicated to some of the most watched shoes in the country, and includes but not limited to: 
Level 2: Substitute Game Shows: These are horrible, the worst of the worst. These shows were rejected by the networks, but still managed to film a couple of episodes. And just because something happened (like a writer’s strike,) they are being aired. Last night’s 
excuse me for gathering all of them under one roof. Game Shows are what we watch when there is nothing else on, or when we are waiting for one of our favorite shows to start. It is often extremely boring, and may cause you to fall asleep earlier then what you had planed. But there are good sides to the genre: A. No need to follow up. You don’t need to wait a whole season to see who won. B: After a hard day, when your brains can’t take any more information, it’s a guarantee these shows will not make it harder on you.
Last night’s new episodes of 30 Rock, and the one of My Name Is Earl, were the exception that proves the rule. There is nothing to see on TV. With the writers strike going nowhere, we are stuck with a bunch of crappy reality shows, and with Jay Leno who writes his own stuff…
This week on TV was all about the fall lineup with new shows and season premiers.
If you have read this blog in the past, it is needless to mention how much I waited for the return of my favorite shows Heroes and The Office. While the first was somewhere between OK and good, The Office was hilarious, and proved once again that it is the best TV show in a very long time. I also tried to watch as many new shows as possible, and I realized that A. NBC tries harder. and B. Most of what I saw didn’t have an original and refreshing feel to it, and I doubt if they will be watched again on our TV. There are almost two exceptions here. Fox’s Back To You with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, and NBC’s Chuck with Zachary Levi. The Back To You pilot was not so good but I felt some sort of chemistry between the two veteran actors. From what I read, only six episodes were filmed, and I’m not sure if the show will last beyond it. Chuck was a success. It wasn’t great but it was well done. Everything was in place, the story is good, and the actors are likable.
I’ve been looking forward to the end of September ever since the beginning of May when I was left wondering just why 
I can’t get Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talking” out of my mind since my husband told me about the film Midnight Cowboy, the first X-rated film to ever win an Academy Award for Best Picture. Of course, the film, released in 1969, would be PG-13 by today’s standards, but still the adult themes are genuine, poignant, and well, very raw. Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voigt are at their best in this film as two friends trying to live above the poverty line in New York and barely scraping by on Voigt’s soliciting of himself. Which, speaking of prostitution, there is a performance by veteran actor John McGiver as a gay man Voigt comes into contact with that MUST be the inspiration for Seth McFarlane’s Stewie from “The Family Guy.” The facial expressions, mannerisms, voice, and face are pure, unadulterated Stewie.
