Fall TV Schedules (CBS)

Next up on the fall schedule announcement is CBS (All new shows are denoted in all CAPS).

MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM How I Met Your Mother
8:30-9:00 PM 2 BROKE GIRLS
9:00-9:30 PM Two and a Half Men
9:30-10:00 PM Mike & Molly
10:00-11:00 PM Hawaii Five-0

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00-11:00 PM UNFORGETTABLE

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Survivor: South Pacific
9:00-10:00 PM Criminal Minds
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

THURSDAY
8:00-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30-9:00 PM HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN
9:00-10:00 PM PERSON OF INTEREST
10:00-11:00 PM The Mentalist

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM A GIFTED MAN
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: NY
10:00-11:00 PM Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM Rules of Engagement
8:30-9:00 PM Comedytime Saturday
9:00-10:00 PM Crimetime Saturday
10:00-11:00 PM 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes
8:00-9:00 PM The Amazing Race
9:00-10:00 PM The Good Wife
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: Miami

Leave it to CBS to finally bring some intrigue to these fall TV announcements. Once again, they've gone and made some major changes to the timeslots of their existing hit shows. The original CSI gets bumped to Wednesdays at 10. Given its waning ratings, the move isn't totally surprising, but it still has to hurt for those involved with that show. For CBS to make that move, they must have felt like they had something solid to replace it with. On the surface it appears they do. A new show called Person of Interest that stars Michael Emerson (Ben from Lost) as an eccentric billionaire who helps solve crimes with Jim Caveziel. Color me intrigued. The other moves CBS made don't have a great impact on me, but are still noteworthy. Breakout hit The Good Wife moves from Tuesdays to Sundays. And then CBS attempts to air new programming on Saturdays by having Rules of Engagement air there. When you're #1, you're able to make these riskier moves. This isn't the first time they've done these experiments, but unlike their counterparts, everyone move they make seems to be the right one. I have no doubt the same will hold true again this year.

New ABC shows

Here's your first look at what ABC has new in store for fall.















These shows won't debut until midseason:

Fall TV Schedules (ABC)

Today's ABC's turn to unveil their lineup for the fall (New shows denoted in all CAPS).

MONDAY:
8:00 - 10:00 Dancing with the Stars
10:00 - 11:00 Castle

TUESDAY:
8:00 - 8:30 LAST MAN STANDING
8:30 - 9:00 MAN UP
9:00 - 10:00 Dancing with the Stars the Results Show
10:00 - 11:00 Body Of Proof

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 - 8:30 The Middle
8:30 - 9:00 SUBURGATORY
9:00 - 9:30 Modern Family
9:30 - 10:00 Happy Endings
10:00 - 11:00 REVENGE

THURSDAY:
8:00 - 9:00 CHARLIE'S ANGELS
9:00 - 10:00 Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 - 11:00 Private Practice

FRIDAY:
8:00 - 9:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 - 10:00 Shark Tank
10:00 - 11:00 20/20

SATURDAY:
8:00 - 11:00 Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY:
7:00 - 8:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos
8:00 - 9:00 ONCE UPON A TIME
9:00 - 10:00 Desperate Housewives
10:00 - 11:00 PAN AM

So right now there is nothing that I watch on ABC and I'm not sure if that will change come this fall either. Certainly I'll have to take a look at the trailers for their new shows, but most of them seem to cater to the same demographic as their existing shows - women. There isn't too much of a shakeup in their scheduling, so I'm sure ABC will maintain a status quo with regards to their ratings. Thus far, they seem to have taken the fewest amount of risks with their schedule.

New FOX shows

Here are the trailers for the shows that will debut this fall on FOX.









The following trailers are for shows that won't debut until midseason.

Fall TV Schedules (FOX)

FOX is up next. Here's what they plan on airing this fall (New shows are denoted in all CAPS)...

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM TERRA NOVA
9:00-10:00 PM House

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Glee
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM Raising Hope

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:30 PM THE X FACTOR PERFORMANCE SHOW
9:30-10:00 PM I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE X FACTOR RESULTS SHOW
9:00-10:00 PM Bones

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Kitchen Nightmares
9:00-10:00 PM Fringe

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM Cops
8:30-9:00 PM Cops
9:00-10:00 PM Encores/America’S Most Wanted (specials)

SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM The OT (NFL post-game)
7:30-8:00 PM The Cleveland Show
8:00-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM ALLEN GREGORY
9:00-9:30 PM Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM American Dad

As far as returning shows, almost everything is status quo, so nothing to worry about there. Where the intrigue lies is with Fox's new shows. Terra Nova has the possibility to be the next Lost or a very expensive failure. Meanwhile, we'll see how much of a draw Simon Cowell really is as he totes out another talent competition in American Idol's slot. And then on Sunday's they'll do their best to try and launch a successful animated program that isn't The Simpsons or something from the mind of Seth McFarland. From my perspective, those are some big question marks, but we'll get the answers to them in just a few short months.

Dynamic Duo

Courtesy of the most recent Saturday Night Live, check out The Ambiguously Gay Duo come to life, as portrayed by Jon Hamm and Jimmy Fallon (with awesome cameos by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell).

New NBC shows

Here are trailers to all of the new shows on NBC that will debut later this fall.

Fall TV Schedules (NBC)

It's a big week for television viewers as the major broadcast networks unveil their new fall schedules. NBC got things started yesterday with the announcement of their slate. Here's their schedule (New shows are denoted in all CAPS):

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Sing-Off”
10-11 p.m. – “THE PLAYBOY CLUB”

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood”

WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “UP ALL NIGHT”
8:30-9 p.m. – “FREE AGENTS”
9-10 p.m. — “Harry’s Law”
10-11 p.m. — “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “Community”
8:30-9 p.m. — “Parks and Recreation”
9-9:30 p.m. – “The Office”
9:30-10 p.m. – “WHITNEY”
10-11 p.m. – “PRIME SUSPECT”

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Chuck”
9-10 p.m. – “GRIMM”
10-11 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”

SATURDAY
Encore programming

SUNDAY
7- 8:15 p.m. — “Football Night in America”
8:15-11:30 p.m. — “NBC Sunday Night Football”

This obviously will change if there's no football because of the lockout, but I doubt that will happen. Aside from that, the interesting things of note is Chuck moving to Fridays. They were only given a 13 episode order (instead of the usual 22) and NBC has said that this will be their final season, so placing it on Friday isn't that surprising. Parks and Recreation moves back to 8:30 and hopefully can sustain viewers. 30 Rock won't be back until mid-season due to Tina Fey's pregnancy. Wednesdays are probably their biggest gamble as they try to have sitcoms succeed on a night besides Thursdays. As for their new shows, I haven't had a chance to really investigate them yet, but it's clear some of them will need to be breakout hits if NBC hopes to regain prominance. I'll post trailers for the new shows later so that you can judge them for yourself.

Tribe Watch (Week 7)

Record: 24-13

Standing: First in the AL Central

Not a whole lot to talk about this week given the off day last Monday and the fact that the last two games have been rained out. Those rain outs are a real shame too considering that series against Seattle could have been a real good opportunity to get our bats going again after they laid dormant for most of the Tampa Bay series. We were fortunate to get the first win off of them, but then their stellar pitching shut us down for the second and third game. The first game against Seattle was tremendous as Hafner's home run provided the Indians with yet another walk-off win. It really seems like the magic is back at Jacobs Field (still don't like calling it by it's new name). It's a shame though that we'll be spending this upcoming week back out on the road. We have a pair of two game series to start the week against Kansas City and Chicago. We should play well against both, but we don't want to take anything for granted since wins against divisional rivals are important. Then we'll begin a weekend series at home with the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds have played us tough in recent years and they're currently a contender, so it should be a good test to see how we handle playing against a decent team. Since I live in Dayton, I really hope we do well so that I can listen to the Reds fans complain and cry. Win or lose though, it's always fun to be an Indians fan!

Killer job

I think I may have missed the boat leaving this off my top 30 for 2011 list, especially considering how many of the films I've put on there that have turned out to be duds.

NMR: Hereafter

What a somber, dreary wreck this is. I expected a lot more from another collaboration between director Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon. The film, which has three different storylines that eventually intersect, attempts to look at what possibly happens after we die. The first problem comes from the fact that the film takes a half hour to establish each of the storylines - something that was established within 2 minutes in the film's trailer. It then spends the next hour+ spinning its wheels and maintaining this melancholy mood that almost made you want to kill yourself just so you could get the truth on the hereafter quicker. The film briefly sparked my interest as the storylines began to merge, but it didn't last long. Given the talent involved in this project, it should have been way better and more engaging. Instead, we get a rare lifeless performance and Damon and Eastwood putting all his usual directorial touches on material that didn't deserve it. This one is a definite skip. Rating: **

Steel reserve

I can't quite get a beat on this film. At best, we could be in store for some awesome robot mayhem to help fill the void after Transformers leaves the theaters or at worst, this could basically be Over the Top for the 21st century.

Hammer Time

Despite the big box office for Fast Five last weekend, it was this weekend that the summer movie season officially began and like it has for quite a few years now, it started with a comic book movie. This time around, it's Thor, the god of thunder who gets a chance to shine on the big screen. Thor may not be as well known as say, Batman or Spiderman, but still has a rich mythology that gets properly introduced in this film.

Given the lesser name recognition, Thor certainly had an uphill battle. First there's the issue of non-fans. With most comic book heroes, unless they are really well known, the director has to find a way of staying true to the character's history, while also making the film accessible to people who are not as familiar with him. Thor's story is more problematic given that it deals with two worlds. A lot of Thor's story involves his battle and interactions in his home world of Asgard. But since Thor will eventually join forces with other human heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, the film must also find a way to have him come to Earth and begin to establish relationships with characters there. Finding the right balance on both of those issues is not easy. The fact the film was being directed by Kenneth Branagh, a man not known for making these type of films just added to the likelihood of failure.

But I'm happy to report that Thor manages to overcome those obstacles and deliver a mostly entertaining film. A large part of this is thanks to a winning performance by Chris Hemsworth in the leading role. Hemsworth (last seen as Kirk's father in the Star Trek reboot) is not just some himbo that has the right look. In battle, he comes off looking mightly, but he's also adept with the lighter, humorous scenes. Those scenes typically come during his interactions with a group of scientists who find him in New Mexico after Thor's father, Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) banished him to Earth. Hemsworth's plays particuarly well with Natalie Portman, one of the scientists who not surprisingly finds herself smitten with the Norse god. The two have a nice chemsitry together and I would have liked for there to have been more scenes between them as their pairing felt a bit rushed.

The rushed nature is due to the fact that half of the film takes place is Asgard, Thor's home world. It is there that we're introduced to a whole host of characters, including Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston), Thor's brother who resents the power and favor Thor has earned. These scenes will likely confuse a lot of non-fans, but Branagh does his best on drawing from his Shakespearian roots to makes the themes played out in these scenes to be as relatable as possible. Credit also to the director for avoiding the cheesiness that can often coincide with scenes involving rainbow bridges, gatekeepers, and frost giants.

While I enjoyed Thor, I also couldn't help still feeling frustrated. This is yet another film heavy on exposition and light on action. While there are certainly some decent battle scenes, including a brief but effective sequence involving an entity known as The Destroyer, there really isn't an engaging conflict to sink your teeth into. Similar to the first two Iron Man films, the concept of defeating a bad guy is secondary to having characters go through a trial to discover themselves. And to think, we've got to endure this again with Captain America later this summer. And it may not even get better once next summer's Avengers movie happens because most of that will likely be spent on having the heroes learning how to work with each other. Internal conflict is fine, but at some point, I just want to see good and evil duke it out in a blaze of glory. That's why The Dark Knight remains the apex of these films because it put the conflict between Batman and the Joker in center stage.

Those who were already fans of Thor from the comics will be very pleased with this film. From all that I've read and personally know about the character, those involved with the film have done a nice job of staying true to the character and making him come to life. For outsiders, there is certainly enough here, particularly the scenes on here for you to enjoy and be able to watch the film without feeling lost. Everyone needs to realize though that this is ultimately still another piece in a larger puzzle. If you can accept the lack of payoff here and the teases of bigger things to come, then you'll be in for a fun time at the multiplex. Thor isn't quite a god amongst comic book movies, but director Kenneth Branagh makes a heroic effort to have this film be as enjoyable as it is. Grade: B

Tribe Watch (Week 6)

Record: 22-11

Standing: First in the AL Central

I'm more upset with the team than I should be right now and that's because of a tough luck loss we had today. The Angels managed to get all the little bounces going their way and some tactical errors on our end led to a frustrating defeat. But on the positive side, we managed to go .500 on the road trip, which is exactly what I wanted us to do when I previewed this West Coast trip last week. The Indians faced some tough pitching this past week and we're in every game. I like how this team isn't giving up in games, which makes them exciting until the very end. And after an off day tomorrow, the Indians come back home to play and see if they can continue to build on their 13-game win streak at Progressive Field. It should be interesting as they'll be taking on a couple of teams who have been surging as of late - the Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners. We've proven we can play well against Seattle already, but Tampa is more of a mystery. We'll be facing more tough starting pitching from them, but we've played well against them in the past, so hopefully that continues again here. Maybe if we do well, we can finally get some national recognition for our success. Then again, maybe it's better if we don't have the national spotlight on us. No need to put an unnecessary target on our backs. Whatever happens, you know I'll continue watching. Go Tribe!!

Sein language

I've got no real reason to post this other than it's hilarious and I hadn't seen it in a long time. It's segment from Conan's old show involving people auditioning to replace Seinfeld. I can't tell you how many times my friends and I repeated the phrase "What's the deal with corn nuts?" after we saw this.

NMR: The Green Hornet

For everything that this movie does right, it does twice as many things wrong. Based on an old radio superhero, this modern telling of The Green Hornet, could have been so much better than what it was. There are a lot of likable actors in the cast including a star-making turn for Jay Chou, as the Hornet's sidekick Kato, Christoph Waltz hamming it up as the villainous Chudnofsky, Tom Wilkinson as the Hornet's late father, and even James Franco shows up in a fun cameo as a drug dealer. But all of the good they bring to the film is undone by Seth Rogen as the titular Hornet. He is beyond unlikable in this film. His sophmoric antics and unappealing attitude towards those around him make you wish that the movie was about Kato and not him. Rogen can be funny, but he was not only miscast here, but since he co-wrote the film he also didn't do a decent enough job making the character work. Visually, the film is also a mixed bag. Thanks to the ingenuity of Kato, the Hornet is equipped with several cool gadgets and a suped out car known as the Black Beauty. All of them are interesting and offer interesting takes on similar movie gadgets. However, director Michel Gondry goes overboard on the special effects to the point where they actually detract from the film instead of add to it. In particular, the scenes depicting Kato analyzing how to attack bad guys before he actually does is unnecessarily elaborate and technical. The way Guy Ritchie did this in Sherlock Holmes was much more effective. The Green Hornet character is interesting and worthy of a film adaptation. However, despite some appealing aspects in this film, the bad simply outweigh the good here to merit this film a recommendation. Those who opt to give it a view will likely feel stung. Rating: ** 1/2

Eagleton deleted scenes

#1


#2

NMR: The Dilemma

I actually saw this in theaters back in January, but never got around to doing a review then, so I figured I would just do one now to mark its release on DVD/Blu-Ray. Given that it stars Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, this thing is seriously devoid of laughs. Instead of letting these guys be their natural, funny selves director Ron Howard explores some dark issues relating to fidelity and addiction. With a film like Parenthood, Howard was able to yield laughs out of the relatable events that the characters were involved in. Here, he's stuck in this limbo between realism and broad comedy and it never finds the right tone. For instance, amongst the scenes we see Vaughn struggling with finding a way to tell his friend that his wife (played by Winona Ryder) is cheating on him, we have these unnaturally bawdy scenes involving Queen Latifah. The most frustrating thing of all for me was that most of the dramatic tension could have easily been resolved had the characters just actually taken the time to talk with each other. By now you should know how much that irks a communication major. It's a cheap and lazy ploy to keep the story going. The likeable leads (which also include the engaging and sexy Jennifer Connelly) are able to keep the film from being utterly terrible, but they all deserve better material than what they are working with here. There's no dilemma here, you can take a pass on this movie. Rating: ** 1/2

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

With all the big news happening lately, let's not let this momentous occurence be ignored. Last night, the Beardocalypse took place as Will Ferrell got rid of Conan O'Brien's beard. I know a lot are upset by this, but frankly I never dug it so I'm glad it's gone. Check out all the hilarity that happened before the noteworthy shave.

Tribe Watch (Week 5)

Record: 19-8

Standing: First in AL Central

Ask and ye shall deliver. In my post last week I mentioned that we had two big series against divisional rivals that we needed to do well in and boy did we ever. Sweeping both series, the Indians are on a huge roll right now breaking or trying all sorts of records. The way we won each of the three games against the Tigers in comeback fashion was not only amazing to watch, but also critical in helping this team build character and become a legitimate playoff threat. But having a great April means nothing if you can't play well in the other months. So now as we head into April, we can only hope that Tribe will be able to keep up their winning ways. They get a different test of sorts this week as they head, once again, back out west for a road trip that features series against both Oakland and the Anaheim Angels. The supposed blueprint for a playoff team is having a winning record at home and play .500 on the road. So if we can accomplish that and split these series, I'll be perfectly happy for that. I only hope that I can stay up long enough each night in order to see that happen. Given the way they are playing, I think I'll find a way.