Flixens - Television News

OMG: OJ LOL

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:46:07 -0800

Nothing showcases the downfall of modern society better than November sweeps week, especially on the Fox network.

According to CNN, Fox will air a two-part interview with wife-throat-slasher and waiter-murderer O.J. Simpson entitled If I Did It, Here's How it Happened on November 27 and 29. I'm sure the Brown family and the Goldman family already have it on their holiday TiVo schedule... right after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

The interview is conducted by trash-publisher Judith Regan, who has proven herself to be a nightmarish, greedy, opportunistic harpy in the past, and solidifies her place in the Despicable Hall of Fame as she promotes Simpson's new book If I Did It, published by her company, ReganBooks and just happens to be owned by News Corporation, parent company of Fox.

And I just promoted it by reporting on this story.

Damn you Judith Regan! Damn you all to Hell!!

Across the Pond, November 10, 2006

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:11:58 -0800

Hello everyone... Nina here to present another installment of "Across the Pond," Dominique Taylor's semi-regular column focusing on the UK entertainment scene. This week, Dominique opines on the talents of Lena Headey with the recent news that she has landed the role of Sarah Connor in the Fox network's Sarah Connor Chronicles...

Things Get Heady for Lena

By Dominique Taylor

As Nina has already mentioned, Lena Headey has landed the role as Sarah Connor in Fox’s new Terminator spin-off and so this week is dedicated to the Huddersfield girl who finally gets her break and asks the question, can she cut it?

Lina Heady has long been one of those actresses that you’re sure you’ve seen before but can’t really place. Playing alongside Steve Coogan in The Parole Officer I remember mistaking her for Melanie Sykes. And in similar Sykes fashion, she is a beautiful Northern brunette, but unlike Sykes, a midday ITV show with Des O’ Conner seems a million miles away as she is forging a solid career in Hollywood.

Solid because if you look at her filmography on IMDB, you will see that she has featured not only in Brothers Grimm, but also Onegin, Possession, Ripley’s Game and The Cave and she’s also got a number of films in pre and post-production, including Vivaldi and The Shooter. However, the same website reminds us of her thus far over-shadowed talent by offering a biography that could fit on a postage stamp and giving priority to the fact she was born on the same day as Seann William Scott. Flattering, no?

But can she blow this all into space as she lands the role of Sarah Connor? Her role in The Cave saw her as an adrenaline junky mega bitch and she’s got the tattoos to butch herself up, but the thing that’s worrying me is that this is supposed to take place in the time between Terminator 2 and 3 and she doesn’t look a bit like Axl Rose. Where’s the realism? If this is going to work, I need to know why Sarah Connor decided the scraped-back hair, sunglasses and fag look was not for her.

All facetiousness aside, what I’m trying to get at is that, in usual fashion, James Cameron provided us with a heroine that was largely desexualised (other than the small matter of creating John) and Fox has swiftly sexed her up again. I hope Lena does well, she deserves a steady starring role in the US, but I’m rather concerned this could just end up as one for the lads as a beautiful woman runs around firing her big gun and getting sweaty.

Headey Lands "Sarah Connor" Role

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 03:49:05 -0800

Lena Headey has been cast as the lead in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which expands on the mythology of the Terminator films and takes place in the timeframe between Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, according to SciFiWire.

The project, from Warner Bros. TV is preparing a pilot for Fox, to be directed by David Nutter, who also directed James Cameron's Dark Angel pilot for the network. Nutter also directed the pilots for Smallville, Without a Trace, and almost a dozen others that have all been picked up as full series orders.

"It's important for me to live up, as best I can, to the bar that Jim Cameron set," Nutter said back in August, adding that the pilot "has to carry as much of a punch" as possible, even on a TV budget. "This is a huge project that's going to take an extensive amount of preparation and pre-production, [and I want to protect] the integrity of what Cameron created."

Headey will soon be seen opposite Gerard Butler in the feature film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, where she will play Queen Gorgo.

"Guiding Light" Huh Wha?

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:51:35 -0800

Okay, I don't know how I missed this the other day, but it's worth talking about now, just in case some of you missed it too.

According to the Hollywood Reporter on Friday, Marvel Comics has partnered with CBS' Guiding Light daytime soap opera to produce an episode where a character gets zapped by electricity and then gains superpowers, including the ability to levitate and conduct electricity.

To top it off, Marvel will include an 8-page insert into some of its top titles where the heroes of the Marvel Universe descend upon the fictional town of GL's Springfield to determine if this new super-being is friend or foe.

Look for the episode, featuring Beth Ehler's Harley Davidson Cooper character to air this week, Wednesday, November 1st.

OMG. I'm not sure I can do it.

"Arrested Development" Duo in "The Thick of It"

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 06:31:36 -0700

I thought Fox's Arrested Development was simply brilliant. While I love comedies like Seinfeld for their over-the-top gags and humor, Arrested Development to me was one of the funniest shows I have seen on TV for its outrageous subtlety, if that makes any sense. Lines like "Buster, you're a grown man, you should be at home sleeping with your mother" are perfect examples of this. Too bad it was cancelled.

The good news is Mitchell Hurwitz, creator and executive producer of the show, and Richard Day, a former writer on the show, are teaming up to adapt the BBC's The Thick of It, for American audiences according to the Hollywood Reporter. Sony Pictures TV is currently shopping the idea around for the networks.

The BBC show centers on a "put-upon member of Parliament who is continually harassed by inept bureaucrats working for the prime minister and other politicians and civil servants." It won the Best New Comedy trophy at the British Comedy Awards.

Perhaps some of our UK readers can fill us in?

"Moon Knight" Shines on TV

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:58:01 -0700

Way back in April, Jenny From Canada reviewed the debut issue of Marvel's Moon Knight reboot. She liked it, so she'll probably like this news...

Marvel Entertainment Inc. has announced that it will be bringing the adventures of Moon Knight to television with a live-action series, in conjunction with Larry Sugar of Vancouver-based No Equal Entertainment.

Moon Knight tells the story of Marc Spector, a soldier-of-fortune turned superhero after an encounter with the Egyptian God of Venegance and the moon god Konshu. His first appearance was in the original Werewolf By Night series where his silver weapons inflicted their anti-lycanthropic effects on Jack Russell's lupine alter-ego. In his new series, Moon Knight is sort of a cross between Batman, Fox Mulder, and Karl Kolchak.

"'Moon Knight' has all the elements for an engaging television series. No Equal Entertainment has a real passion for the project and an amazing vision of how to bring the character and storyline to life that will appeal to action and sci-fi enthusiasts," said Marvel's David Maisel.

Sugar added, "We are delighted to be in business with Marvel Entertainment and believe that 'Moon Knight' will make a compelling and long-lasting television series."

Let's hope it does better than Blade.

Trek Fans Mourn Jane Wyatt's Passing

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:08:31 -0700

Jane Wyatt, best known to science fiction fans as Amanda Grayson, Spock's mother on Star Trek, has died at age 95. She passed away on Friday at her home in Bel Air, California from natural causes.

Wyatt was also known to classic film buffs as Sondra Bizet in 1937's Lost Horizon, her first major role. After starring in dozens of films, she went on to television to star in Father Knows Best as Margaret Anderson, which earned her 3 Emmys. Fans of NBC's St. Elsewhere remember her as Katherine Auschlander.

Wyatt's career suffered in the 1950s due to her opposition of Senator Joseph McCarthy, and retreated to the theater for a time, only to re-emerge on television in the 60s on a number of shows before landing the role of Amanda, which guaranteed her a place in pop culture history.

Wyatt took her role as the human mother to a half-Vulcan son seriously, and her appearance in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home as Amanda provided the focal point for the rebirth of Spock's character, providing the impetus for his more emotional, human side to assert itself in later story arcs, including his appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

She is survived by sons Christopher and Michael Ward, from her 1935 marriage to investment banker Edgar Ward, who passed away in 2000.

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Animated Hellboy Director Tad Stones

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 13:13:13 -0700

Hi everyone, Nina here, along with the Movie MILF talking to Tad Stones, co-director of the upcoming animated Hellboy: The Sword of Storms, premiering October 28, 9:30 ET/PT on the Cartoon Network. If you haven't already checked out the online production diaries, you should. Flixens had an opportunity to talk with Tad and ask him a few questions about the movie, his career, and his marriage.

Nina Kincaid: Working on "Hellboy Animated", did you have any constraints related to the existing Del Toro feature film, or its planned sequel? Or does the animated version take place in a separate "universe," so to speak? How involved was Guillermo in the animated project?

Tad Stones: In reverse order, Guillermo got Revolution to focus on doing an animated version. It was not something they'd normally be pursuing. He also gave me the name of our composer, Christopher Drake. But Chris got the job due to the spec score he did on an animatic sequence. I'm glad he was so good or Guillermo and I would've gotten into a big fight. Other than that, our production coincided with "Pan's Labyrinth" so Guillermo wasn't even in the country. Any spare time he had during that was spent writing the first draft of "Hellboy 2"

I think every medium Hellboy visits gets its own universe. The only real Hellboy is the one that Mike writes. We try to be as close to the comics as we can but there are differences. Professor Broom is still alive in our stories and the details of some of the major events in Hellboy's life are different.

The only constraints the live action films place on us are in the choosing of the subject matter. Mike knows I would love to do something with the world of faerie but that's the subject matter of HB2.

NK: I remember watching the original "Darkwing Duck" pilot when I was younger, which you wrote and produced, but thought that the quality of the writing dipped in the actual series, which had a number of writers. How involved would you be with an animated "Hellboy" series if there was one?

TS: It is the nature of an animated series that the writing - and everything else really - gets rushed. I thought the writing was generally strong in the series but the execution, both within the studio and overseas, went up and down.

I wouldn't say "no" to a series but I actively campaign against it. This is a complete turnaround from where we started - when Mike and I were coming up with half hour ideas. A half hour equals just 22 minutes on TV sans commercials. What I learned in the movies is how much time it takes to really play with suspense and horror. With short episodes you're just hitting plot. In addition to suspense, there's also more personality in the movies, especially with Liz and Abe. A series also brings with it network notes.

Movie MILF: Will there be a series of animated Hellboy movies?

TS: I'm hoping to have a long series of movies.

MM: In the production diaries, you talk about "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola's involvement in the project primarily as a writer. Why have someone else (Sean "Cheeks" Galloway) be the lead character designer?

TS: That was Mike's choice. In the DVD extras Mike says he had the perfect amount of involvement: be in on the fun part of breaking the story, giving input on the script (being the final say in most instances) then just seeing a few designs. He lets us do the work of actually making the movie.

If Mike was part of the production team he'd go nuts from stress and his comic output would be zero. More importantly, Mike didn't want the show to look like his stuff. His Hellboy is the one you find under the covers that he draws. He can't watch when people try to ape his style.

NK: The production schedule seemed maddening. One year from concept to broadcast... Yet you seem comfortable in the arena of TV and Direct-to-DVD animation. Do you find that you work better creatively under pressure?

TS: NO!!!!!!!!!!! It's just the necessity of schedule and budgets. Although my wife would deny it, I have an organized brain ... At least when it comes to animation production and resist concentrating too much on just what's in front of me. I have to keep the whole schedule in mind. But the ration of time to passion has never been worse than on this project. Doing one movie in the time we did these two would be just about right.

MM: Before "Animated Hellboy", which project of yours are you most proud of? How has "Animated Hellboy" surpassed it?

TS: "Darkwing Duck", the "Buzz Lightyear" movie, parts of "Milo's Return" (which is just a pale shadow of "Hellboy"). All I can say is that I somehow feel my career is just starting. "Hellboy" lets me write on a whole different level and push the boundaries of American animation.

NK: I was very interested in reading in the production diaries about the logistics of doing animation that is to be finished overseas. Can you talk a little bit about the differences between the modern animation process and what it was like when you started in the business, and the adaptations you've had to make?

TS: Whew... Basically, it's like doing animation by remote control. We set up key shots and designs rather than plan each scene. "The Simpsons", which is being worked on one hallway over from me, do character layouts - pretty much every important animation pose is drawn by animators here. On "Hellboy" we just send storyboards and exposure sheet and hope for the best.

NK: How did the "Hellboy Animated" budget compare to other similar projects?

TS: I can only speak to those that I worked on. It was about half my last DVD of "Brer Rabbit" that I did for Universal. I never had one of the Disney DVD big budgets. Mine were always a little higher than a series budget, cost per foot of film.

MM: I'm curious to know about the whole "voice issue" regarding Abe Sapien. First off, how does Doug Jones' voice compare to David Hyde Pierce's from the feature film? Why was there a decision to go with Doug's voice after many fans felt that David nailed it? Did the sequel to the feature film factor into it?

TS: Realize that David always thought the performance was Doug's. He just gave Guillermo the sound he wanted and a few performance tweaks. That's why you saw Doug on the red carpet instead of David. It was very generous of David to do that.

When we offered the part to David, Abe only had a cameo and most of it was "Look out, Liz!" lines. The part wasn't challenging, he didn't need the money, and he still felt Doug created the character.

Doug created a performance that the other actors played off of. It's not a guy yanking on a gorilla suit for an Abbot and Costello movie. I will say Doug is closer to the character than David was but that's me. Doug has a lower pitch and a less fragile sensibility.

MM: How much of the actor's "performance" came across in the animated work? Was any of it based on their action and movement from the feature film or was this completely stylized based on Mignola's art? I guess this goes back to Nina's question about constraints.

TS: Some storyboards were drawn before the track was recorded so any connection was more luck or came from the acting inherent in the writing. Both actor and artist are pulling from the same script. We didn't study the film for any movement. Ron Perlman's Hellboy is a compromise due to the fact that Ron is a human. Anyway, short answer? No physical performance connection just the poses inspired by the voices of the actors.

NK: Were you under any restrictions considering that the movie would premiere on the Cartoon Network? Or did you simply just make the movie and assume that they would edit as necessary for broadcast?

TS: The latter. Our DVD folks would love it if Cartoon Network felt the need to edit. They'd plaster "Complete and uncut!" all over the package.

MM: Will the DVD version differ from the broadcast version?

TS: Only if they edit. Well, I'll amend that. The premiere will be letterboxed. The other showing will be the pan and scan compromise.

MM: It's refreshing to see the production diaries. Marvel, for example, was very secretive about showing anything from their first animated Ultimate Avengers DVD, and I found the final result disappointing, from an animated standpoint when compared to the source material. I'm curious to know then why did you make the choice to even do the online blog? Were you looking for early fan buy-in?

TS: I would've done more. Film Roman had the crew of "Wow, wow, Wubsy!" produce a blog but since their fans are toddlers, they don't get much traffic. They offered me the same. I asked, "Are we trying to keep a secret or are we doing things the modern, Peter Jackson way?" They wanted to be open then backtracked and wanted to make sure the timing of announcements was just right. I felt gagged until Comic-con and by then I no longer had a crew. The fan street cred was never a factor.

NK: Wouldn't Mignola's blessing be enough for the fans?

TS: Yes and no. There's no upside to a creator badmouthing a project when translated into another medium. So unless he's Alan Moore, an artist/writer tends to make nice with the press. Usually, you get the real feelings after a project is done. But Mike seems very happy with how we're doing things.

NK: My favorite character from "Hellboy" is, of course, Kate Corrigan. I'm glad to she that she'll have a part in the animated film. Did you have a favorite going into the project? Did that change after finishing the production?

TS: I've always liked Kate. In the comics she's obviously the one closest to Hellboy, the one he confides his secrets to. She's also based on Christine Mignola in some ways. It's the whole world that Mike created that was my "favorite" although Hellboy is fun to write.

MM: Was there a conscious decision to appeal to a more female audience with the addition of Kate's character, as well as to "toughen" up Liz compared to how she was portrayed in the feature film?

TS: No. We used Kate instead of Liz because we wanted normal agents to contrast with all the weird creatures of Japanese folklore. When we had to write additional material, it made sense to give the time to Liz and Abe. We still kept them away from Japan. Liz is much tougher and more cynical in the comics than in Guillermo's first "Hellboy".

NK: With the premiere airing on the Cartoon Network before the DVD hits retail shelves, are you worried about how DVD sales might be affected by digital piracy?

TS: Yes, Bit Torrent is a big concern of mine since torrentors are exactly the audience who would enjoy "Hellboy" and might buy it. If the sales aren't of a certain level, there won't be anymore Hellboys. Real fans will buy it for the picture quality and sound.

MM: Along those lines, the deal is already done for the two animated films. Is the decision for more based primarily on the DVD sales or the broadcast ratings? Would you WANT to do more?

TS: Ratings help DVD sales. I want to do a lot more!

NK: What would be your DREAM project, if you could start it tomorrow?

TS: "Hellboy Animated 3"

MM: Finally, you mentioned your wife earlier... so... you're married? Darn.

TS: Yes, I'm married. Three kids, one of whom is married. The youngest, now out of high school, was the basis for Gosalyn Mallard, Darkwing’s daughter. A dog and a pond with too many koi.

NN: Thank you Tad! We can't wait to see the finished products!

TS: Thank you, for your questions and interest!

NBC Universal Fraks BSG Webisodes

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 06:50:40 -0700

It just seems like chaos over at NBC Universal...

Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ron Moore has halted production on any new BSG webisodes, as the company tightens the purse strings and plays hardball, according to TV Squad.

Citing that the webisodes were being considered promotional material, NBC Universal executives decided to withold residuals and credit for the writers of the webisodes. When Moore heard this, he decided to cease production. In retaliation, NBC Universal seized the webisodes and filed charges of unfair labor practices with the Writers Guild of America. WGA then went to Moore and said to not deliver any more internet-based content until there was a residual deal.

Curiously, over 6 million people downloaded the webisodes within 2 days of the show's third season. Compare this with the 2.2 million people who actually watched the show according to the Nielsen ratings, and you have an interesting situation...

One might say there's a virtual torrent of information there.

NBC Universal Gives Up

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 06:15:58 -0700

Slide this one into the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" category.

NBC Universal has announced that it will move away from high-cost scripted programming in its 8pm hour and move to more unscripted programming. Translation: More reality shows The announcement came as the company said it would restructure 700 jobs, saving up to $750 million annually.

Despite the huge ratings that Heroes is getting and the fact that shows like My Name is Earl and The Office are doing well for the network, NBC admits that they haven't put enough money and effort into developing the much cheaper unscripted shows, like ABC's Dancing With the Stars and CBS' Survivor, and FOX's American Idol. In fact, when one looks at the unscripted programming from NBC in the past, aside from The Apprentice, which was produced by Survivor's Mark Burnett (and which Martha Stewart killed), the network came off looking like amateurs.

"You're going to see more of a commitment to it on our part," NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly told the Hollywood Reporter. "Although we've had success in unscripted programming with 'The Apprentice' and 'Deal or No Deal,' we've probably dedicated less of our budget toward that compared to some of our competitors." On the heels of Heroes' massive success (which is produced in-house at NBC), he was quick to note that they wouldn't be giving up entirely on scripted programming. "We're going to stay in that business ... but we are going to need to balance our portfolio so that we can afford to continue to do that business because the margins are getting tougher and tougher."

Animated "Hellboy" Not Just for the Kiddies

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:29:46 -0700

As we rapidly approach October 28th, 9:30 ET/PT, many of you are waiting patiently for the Cartoon Network premiere of the first animated Hellboy movie, Hellboy: The Sword of Storms, directed by Tad Stones. But when we told you the other day that the movie would be part of CN's Toonami programming block and not Adult Swim, some of you were skeptical... I asked Tad if he could clear things up:

Tad Stones: All I can say is that I did the comic. There's no gore or splatter but, as in the comics, there are headless bodies, bodiless heads, a monster leg chopped off and plenty of shooting of the undead. Mummies tend to explode into dust, while vampire and demons heal.

If you don't know the comics... You should! But in Cartoon Network terms, I'd say it's between Toonami and Adult Swim. Realize that I don't know what they'll bleep but the tough language is stuff like "Screw this." "Damn heads." "Geez" "Son of a-" and "Think again, Dumbass."

It plays at 9:30, so it's meant for an older crowd.

Thanks Tad! Sounds very much like the level of Guillermo Del Toro's feature film. I'm really looking forward to this!

Hellboy "Storms" Onto TV

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 11:57:20 -0700

[UPDATE AGAIN: I've been chastised by Zahra for not revealing the source of my first updates, i.e. the correct date and the production diaries. They came to me in an email from the director, Tad Stones himself, who was extremely polite in spite of the fact that I totally botched the job. Thank you Tad -- MILF]

[UPDATE: Notice the newly CORRECT date. Also check out the link to the production diaries at the bottom! -- MILF]

Back in July Nina told you about some upcoming Hellboy TV projects, specifically two new animated features to first be show on the Cartoon Network before going to DVD.

The Cartoon Network is set to show Hellboy: Sword of Storms on October 28, 9:30 ET/PT as part of its regular Toonami suite, so get your DVRs ready.

The new cartoon will feature the voices of Hellboy stars Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Doug Jones, who will be providing the voice for Abe Sapien this time around. Sorry David Hyde Pierce, whose uncredited voicework (attached to Jones' movements) in the Hellboy feature film was fantastic. I'll be curious to finally hear Jones' voice as Abe.

According to SciFiWire, in the new film, a university professor opens a forbidden scroll and is possessed by the twin demons of thunder and lightning, who seek to return to the world to wake their brothers, the dragons. Hellboy, along with a folklore expert and a psychic, travels to Japan to investigate and finds the sword of storms, the only weapon that can defeat the demons.

UPDATE: Check out the production diaries here! All you ever wanted to know but were too lazy to Google.

Hugh Jackman: "Viva" Las Vegas!

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 07:18:17 -0700

I've said it before about Hugh Jackman and I'll say it again...

The man just loves to sing and dance.

The Tony Award-winning "Boy From Oz" has just signed a deal with CBS to produce and star in the pilot episode of Viva Blackpool, a completely wacky-sounding show based on a successful BBC miniseries of the same name.

The show will introduce viewers to Ripley Holden, the charismatic owner of a sleazy, low-end casino, who dreams of cashing it in and opening up a glitzy resort on the Vegas Strip. The show will feature a murder/mystery at its core, and cast members are likely to break into song and dance numbers at the drop of a hat.

Tsk tsk... did Cop Rock teach us NOTHING?!?

Then again, I ask you... did Cop Rock have El Hugh? I think not.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jackman and his producing partner John Palermo had been looking for a way to do a dramedy musical series for almost 2 years when CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler approached them with the idea for Blackpool. They watched all six episodes of the British series and decided immediately that this was the project they wanted to make their entry into television with.

So... hot Hugh singing and dancing or aging James Caan looking creepy on NBC's Las Vegas?

Make your choice.

OH SNAP! 'Medium' Be Back!

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:18:05 -0700

I totally thought this was all cancelled and stuff, but I guess I should have paid more attention. Medium, which is a really awesome blossom show about a, um, medium and her family was all set to debut again in January or sumpin. But BEHOLD, Medium is coming back on November 15th, right in time for Thanksgiving. The show is coming back to replace Kidnapped, which bombed and left a big gaping hole in NBC's schedule. Read about it HERE!

If you haven't watched Medium, what's wrong with you? It's possibly the most creative show on TV and the acting is really good and the middle daughter is so cute I just want to hug her til her head pops clean off. The show follows the misfortunes of Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette), who is a born medium. She can talk with dead people, and she uses her ability to solve crimes for the Phoenix, AZ district attorney's office. Her husband, Joe (Jake Weber), is all skeptical. I mean, he totally believes in Allison's powers, but he always tries to offer a NON supernatural solution to things.

YEAH! This is good news for Medium! It shows that NBC has a lot of faith in the show, or it shoes that most NBC shows are kind of shit right now and this is all they can come up with. Yeah!

Leather Lass Strips Fall TV to the Bone

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 08:30:18 -0700

In preparation for announcing the big winners for my ABC Fall Schedule Beg-a-thon on Monday, I thought I would take some time give you one of those dopey Fall TV scorecards, because frankly, I am concerned you can't make decisions for yourself, and you need all the help you can get. I am going to attempt to make this less naval gazing than some other scorecards (especially theavclub.com's pointless Crosstalk.)

So far the Season has been relatively interesting. We have a slew of new serialized crime shows, and it seems more pronounced than ever that the death of the multi-camera sitcom is upon us. Also this season seems to have drawn quite a few big names to your tv set... people we wouldn't expect to show up on your tv set, and that has produced mixed results.

New Fall Shows I Have Deigned to Watch:

30 Rock
There is a lot to like about 30 Rock, and that would be all 225 pounds of Alec Baldwin. The rest was hit or miss. Mainly miss. Tina Fey, who was so cute and smart and clever on Saturday Night Live, so seems a little over played. There is hope though, if they can actually make the show funnier. Right now there are too many awkward silences around my living room as would-be jokes die a slow death. Tracy Morgan's character is interesting. I found him alternately annoying and funny, but more annoying. Like I said, there is hope for this. The whole thing just needs to be tightened... and funnier.

Friday Night Lights
This show couldn't have been easy to produce. It looks and feels like an art film about Texas high school football. The dialog is realistic and somehow the show made me really empathize with that whole small town thing. You know where you are bummed because there is no Coffee Bean, and you don't get good reception from your 10' satellite dish, and all there is to do is watch football. But here's the thing. The show is really slow... much like an art film about Texas high school football. And another thing, if you have seen the movie, it would be easy to see where this season is going.

Happy Hour
Another death knell for multi-cam sitcoms. This show was terrible except for the naked performance of Beth Lacke who manages to pull off cute, funny and socially retarded with the aplumb of someone with too much experience being all of those things. I expect we will see more of Lacke... the rest of the annoying cast can go to hell.

Heroes
Screw all the naysayers, this show is about the second most interesting thing on TV right now. Sure the pilot did have a few issues, but each week the mysteries and characters get more compelling. Everyone jumped on Claire as being the big break out, but once Ali Carter goes all Mr. Hide on your wimpy asses, you won't be able to turn away. Also remember this show has a comic book big gun behind the scenes. Jeph Loeb is the genius that brought you Teen Wolf and Commando! I expect, much like today's decompressed comic books, that Heroes is going to build to a big reveal every six episodes or so. If the show doesn't hook you after that, then I get to punish you for being wrong about everything. Alot.

Jericho
So this started out kind of okay. And then the second episode brought radioactive rain. Or so we thought. Well the second episode was good, but now as of the conclusion of the third episode, I am done. Or is this the fourth. I don't really care. What I do care about is the bad timing of this show for me. I just finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which is a genuinely scary version of what life would be like in post-Apocalyptic America. I finished that book on Tuesday night and then watched Jericho on Wednesday, and so Jericho is the Seventh Heaven version of The Road with a lot less cannabilism. My suggestion? Read The Road and then lie awake at night thinking about Gerald McRaney hunting you down and eating your kids because he hungers.

Justice
Justice is an attempt by Jerry Bruckheimer to CSI the Legal Show. What he has done is make a show about all the things I hate about America. Talking heads on CourtTV. Egos too large for their Hummers. Lawyers. It's annoying. If I am ever committed of a sensationalistic crime, I am going to cut my own tongue out so as to render me a bad interview.

Kidnapped
You can read my full review here, but why would you care? The show has been sent to TV Siberia as of this week, and that's unfortunate because the plotting and characters were really starting to grow on me. Although I do think it's a little weird that the kidnappers, after their initial ransom attempt failed, really aren't being all that communative with the kid's family. Such a great cast. It's a shame that more people aren't watching.

Men in Trees
Anne Heche has a new show on geared toward my kind! I watched one episode, and now I wish I was no longer a woman. But I am sure my mom and aunts will think this show is hysterical. I also find it interesting that they are already ripping off Northern Exposure storylines and it's only 4 or 5 episodes along.

Six Degrees
This show is pretentious and absurd and I like it. But boy does it make me miss Manhattan.

Standoff
Once in a blue moon TV creative types feel the need to reinvent the classic Dave and Maddy chemistry from those glorious early seasons of Moonlighting. The creators of Standoff try to circumvent the relationship minefields that caused Moonlighting to lose it's limbs by having it's charming leads as a couple from the start. Ron Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt play a pretty cute couple, and the balance between their relationship and their work is the core of the show. Too bad their work is the ultra serious and not at all funny job of being hostage negotiators. If I were running this show, I would ease up on the air traffic controller takes LAX hostage plotlines and endeavor to make the hostage situations a little more Barney Miller and a lot less Die Hard. If the crimes can end up being as goofy and nonchalant as the leads, the show could be a monster of a success. Right now it just gives me tonal fatigue. But mmmm, Ron Livingston. I'll be back.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Read my review here! Well I was really digging this show until episode three. What happens in episode three that is so awful? Christine Lahti, Tommy Schlamme's personal Themiscyran. I don't care if you like her. She gets on my one nerve and if she is back as a regular or something, then I quit.

The Class
Like Friends, but with less charisma and fewer jokes. And David Keith. Does that help at all?

The Nine
While this show didn't really light my fire in the interest department (the back of my knees if you are keeping notes), the pilot episode really blew my mind. Well produced, well acted, and very nicely plotted, The Nine could be a stellar mystery and drama. Two episodes in, and we still don't have a clear idea of all that transpired inside the Bank Heist hostage situation, but we know things went really bad. Creators made a bold move by having not all of the nine protagonists make it out of the hostage crisis alive. I will stick around until it's inevitable cancellation right before sweeps, and then I will take out my grief on my clients. Or possibly MILF.

Til Death
Oh man a sitcom with that big weird guy from Everybody Loves Raymond!

Twenty Good Years
Jeffrey Tambor is a god among men. You don't deserve to beg for the dust on the sole's of his shoes. And he doesn't deserve this show. Oh and someone give John Lithgow a valium or something.

Vanished
Please let this be the headline on Hollywood Reporter soon: "Vanished Vanished!"

Dexter
This Showtime show isn't getting a lot of attention, but it's worth a peek. David Hall of Six Feet Under plays the titular Dexter. By day he is a blood splatter specialist for Miami PD, but he spends his evenings as a serial killer. But it's okay really because he's a serial killer who only kills serial killers. Thanks to an astute foster dad, Dexter was put on the right track early in life to use his destructive tendencies to take out a few of his own. This show is creepy fun with lots of bloody and sudden cuts to the face and decapitated heads. Yes! It's that good.

And that's a wrap. Check back on Monday for a list of BIG WINNERS. Oh and it's not too late to enter the contest. You can link to it at the top of this article.