B E S T / /O F
Sit back and enjoy tales of television long ago -
this blog covers current and classic TV shows
and reviews of upcoming television programs
along with the latest TV on DVD releases!
YOU TUBING
I loved those old afternoon variety shows of the 1970s like Merv, Mike and Dinah. Where else could you get entertainment like this on any random day, William Shatner singing Harry Chapin's 'Taxi' on Dinah Shore's program.
Or this great moment - the great Josephine Baker on Merv's show in 1974. It's audio only but you'll also hear Gloria Swanson on the panel.
Sunday,
March 7, 2010 - 7:00am
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TV
SHOWS OF OLD
Bob
Huggins comments on the 1950's Saturday Morning DVD set from Shout!
Factory: "While the concept of this release is terrific, it is
important to note that the source prints used for “Hiya Kids”
leave a lot to be desired. One can preview the shows at Shout!
Factory’s site and, frankly, the episodes look for
the most part like ones that you would typically associate with public
domain releases, i.e., unrestored 16 millimeter prints and kinescopes.
In fact, at least a half dozen of the shows featured on this set have
been previously released by public domain companies like Alpha Video,
e.g. “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle,” “Flash Gordon,”
“Sky King,” and “Juvenile Jury,” and I’ve
even seen a few (“Lassie,” “Howdy Doody”) on dollar
DVDs that you can purchase at Wal-Mart. That said, there are quite a few
rarities on this set and, as I believe you are aware, most of Paul Winchell’s
shows were destroyed, making the Winchell episode represented on this
set a keeper. Potential purchasers of this set should probably view the
previews at Shout!’s site, so they’ll know what they are getting
and avoid disappointment."
A couple of years ago, an article in Salon put forth the theory that Jim West & Artemus Gordon from The Wild Wild West were a gay couple.
Personally, I always thought My Favorite Martian was the first gay show - the story of two single guys, one younger, one an older 'Uncle,' who live together in a small apartment and go to great lengths to keep their landlord, the cop and the rest of the town from discovering their secret.
Typical plot: 'Uncle' Martin can't get it back down so he and Tim frantically try to conceal his protrusions from their landlord, Mrs. Brown - who is growing suspicious that the boys upstairs are hiding something.
Saturday,
March 6, 2010 - 7:39am
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HEE
HAW
Don't ask me what possessed me to Netflix the Hee Haw 10th anniversary
show; it's not that good, even by my lowbrow standards. If you never saw Hee Haw, here's a typical joke:
Farmer: "Grandpa, did I see you holding your pigs up to the tree one at a time so they could eat the apples off the branches?"
Grandpa: "Uh-Huh."
Farmer: "Well, doncha' think that's an awful a waste of time?"
Grandpa: "Well, what's time to a pig?"
Most of the clips from Hee Haw have been removed but here's the great Jerry Reed with the Hee Haw Honeys.
And who could forget Junior Samples? That's some corny stuff!
Wednesday,
March 3, 2010 - 7:28am
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TONIGHT
As you prolly know last night was Jay Leno's return to The Tonight Show. How were the numbers? Leno beat the competition easily, with a 5.4/14 rating, the best performance for The Tonight Show since Conan O'Brien took over. The Late Show With David Letterman lagged with a 3.0/ 8.
And the big Olympic Hockey game on Sunday? It was the most watched Hockey match on television ever.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 11:58am
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TV NEWS
Production has shut down on Two and a Half Men while Charlie Sheen re-enters rehab for a third time; CBS issued a statement saying: "CBS, Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre support Charlie Sheen in his decision today to begin voluntary in-patient care at a treatment center. We wish him nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter."
Guess who has an online petition to become Simon Cowell's replacement on American Idol? None other than that sleazy Perez Hilton. Sounds like a great way to kill the franchise once and for all.
Here are the top 30 TV shows for last week in total viewers:
1: Winter Olympics - Wednesday (NBC): 29.42 million, Winter Olympics - Saturday (NBC): 26.67, Winter Olympics - Monday (NBC): 25.22, Winter Olympics - Thursday (NBC): 24.78, American Idol - Tuesday (Fox): 23.92, Winter Olympics - Friday (NBC): 23.30, Winter Olympics - Sunday (NBC): 23.29, Winter Olympics - Tuesday (NBC): 20.33, American Idol - Wednesday (Fox): 18.63,
10: Undercover Boss (CBS): 13.76, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS): 11.97, NCIS R (CBS): 11.66, The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love (ABC): 11.53, 60 Minutes (CBS): 11.36, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 10.92, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 10.61, Grey's Anatomy (ABC): 10.27, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 10.09, Lost (ABC): 9.82,
20: NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS): 9.13, The Amazing Race (CBS): 9.01, Cold Case (CBS) and The Mentalist R (CBS): 8.81 each, 24 (Fox): 8.58, CSI: Miami R (CBS): 8.38, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 7.99, CSI: NY R (CBS): 7.97, CSI R (CBS): 7.96, Criminal Minds R (CBS): 7.91
USA is the top cable network in total viewers and in the highly coveted 18-54 demo.
Friday, February 26, 2010 11:05am
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TELEVISION BLOG
:The Best of TV Blog:
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This Television Blog is hosted by Billy Ingram, one of the nation's top Pop Culture Gurus and expert on classic TV. Seen on VH1, These TV Blog entries are from the TVparty! website. (I'm not normally this smug - this photo was shot for a film where I played a villain.) |
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Star Trek Bloopers
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Leif Garrett Busted / Twin Cities Local TV Book
/ William Shatner Sings on Daytime TV in the 1970s /
Kids Are People Too
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