"No, you're a tool."

VH1's Tool Academy aired yesterday. Here's the premise:

9 frustrated girlfriends have enrolled their duchebag boyfriends into the "Tool Academy" to see if there is any possibility that they might change. The girlfriends are unappreciated, used, cheated on and degraded. For many of them, this is the last straw, and if their men can't get it together, they're going to get the boot. So, through a series of challenges (suprise suprise), the girls will try to change their tools into men.

I'd been looking forward to this show since I first saw the commercial for it. The first episode was great! Great premise, great drama, great characters... but I'm hoping it will sustain. Now that we've seen how dumb and inconsiderate some of these guys can be, are now in for 9 weeks of useless I Love Money challenges or will we see some progress with these guy? The first episode really tugged at my heart strings (at least more than any other VH1 reality show) and I'm hoping to see more of that. I hope it doesn't reach the shallow depths of Rock of Venereal Disease. Only time will tell, and from what I've seen so far, Tool Academy looks to be promising.

Watch it on VH1, Sundays at 10

Bye Bye Becker

This past Saturday, I woke up to watch my weekly installment of VH1's Top 20 Countdown to find that my favorite VJ was missing. Instead the show was hosted by the formally lovable but recently lackluster Jim Shearer.

I was stunned actually. I hadn't heard anything about Alison Becker leaving the show. She was my burst of sunshine on Saturday mornings. Aside from the fact that we're both "single L" Alisons from Jersey, I felt kind of a connection with her, a connection that I'm sure most people feel with their favorite television icons. But I got her humor and thought maybe some years from now, when I was making my NY rounds, looking for a job at VH1 or NBC, I'd bump into Ms. Becker and say, almost in passing, "I used to watch you, ya know. Thanks for the good times."

But alas, she is moving westward. My only hopes are that she finds what she's looking for out there and finds her way back to small screen (or big screen) so that she might brighten our days again.

Good luck Alison!

(Check out her blog.)

Holiday Specials

This is the time of the year to curl up by the fire place (or television) with a warm mug of hot chocolate and homemade cookies and watch those nostalgic specials that remind us of when we were children. Here are a few holiday specials to keep your insides warm and fuzzy for the next few days:


December 23

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – ABC, 8:00 p.m.
The 10th Annual A Home for the Holidays with Faith Hill – CBS, 8:00 p.m.
White Christmas - ABC Family, 9:00 p.m.

December 24

Rudolph & Frosty’s Christmas in July - ABC Family, 1:00 p.m.
Frosty’s Winder Wonderland - ABC Family, 3:00 p.m.
Rudolph’s Shiny New Year - ABC Family, 4:00 p.m.
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town - ABC Family, 5:00 p.m.
The Year without a Santa Claus - ABC Family, 6:00 p.m.
A Miser Brothers’ Christmas - ABC Family, 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Cartoon Network, 7:00 p.m.
It’s A Wonderful Life – NBC, 8:00 p.m.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey- ABC Family, 8:00 p.m.
A Christmas Story – TBS, 8 p.m.


December 25

Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade - ABC



Happy Holidays!

Con- (dead) Air

Last Saturday when watching Saturday Night Live, I was a little disappointed with the lack of creativity given to the John Malcovich sketches. When I saw the delightfully clever commercial featuring John and rapper TI in which they said they knew each other from "camp", I was excited. I didn't take Malcovich for much of an SNL ethusiast, to be quite honest, I didn't think the man had a sense of humor. Sure he's a brillian actor, but actor and comedian are NOT synonomous.

As I figured, he's not a comedian, there were some fun moments, but he was a little stiff, and at times, a bit judgmental of the characters he was playing. But he got through it, and so did I. My boyfriend however, fell asleep.

I did see this jewel. Its Fred Armisen playing in another Obama spoof. It thought it was brilliant, but you decide.

The Office

Here's a clip from last week's episode of The Office, one of my favorite shows. Pam is rallying to get new chairs for the office with the budget surplus, while the men (including her fiance Jim) are trying to persuade Michael to spend the money on a new copy machine.

The Office is still on top in my eyes.

Ben or Keith?

A funny SNL clip... sort of an "in case you missed it" flashback post for SNL/Keith Olbermann fans.

Bloody Hell

I'm a little upset. I had this GREAT review of HBO's True Blood, and when I went to publish it, the whole thing just... disappeared. I also had some clips to embed but everytime I try, it deletes my entry. So click the title for a link to youtube. I'll try to recreate it, though now, I don't really even feel like it.

True Blood is incredible. Alan Ball (creator of Six Feet Under) has done it again. He knows exactly how to gain and keep an audience. I'm not a big fan of the old vampire story: dark, myserious, sexy and historic, but I knew I had to give it the once over before dismissing it. I didn't think Ball could hit the target dead on two times in a row. I was wrong. I'm hooked. Its raunchy, controvercial, suspenseful, erotic, provokative, and perhaps a little cheesy and melodramatic. But fans are forgiving. Even the opening credits (below) are twisted and spooky.

The difference between TB and the regular daytime soap operas is that TB moves at lighning speed. While the soaps can harp on an issue, even a conversation for weeks on end, TB opens and closes new story lines when ever and where ever it sees fit. The characters are multi-faceted with deep and often dark histories that unfurl with every passing minute. It would behoove you to check this show out next season (or on youtube) if you have even the slightest curiosity.