Articles about Television
Local Nurse Gets Berkus’d (Or Something)
I have proudly avoided Oprah Winfrey for many, many years, so I wasn’t entirely sure who Nate Berkus was, other than he had some vague affiliation with her and he decorates stuff nicely (although, certainly, taste is subjective). But now he has a show of his own, and has taken to hiding in crates and jumping out and surprising people.
I bring this up because not long ago he did this to Julia Clarke, who is a nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano. She was um, excited. A lot. To the point, in fact, that Berkus said he was a little scared. I don’t want to point fingers, here, but if someone jumped out of a crate at me, I’d probably use pepper spray (unless, like Julia, I was lead in to a room where a bunch of people were cheering and there was a camera crew and the crate said, “NATE” on it. Hello, dead giveaway) . So he’s just lucky it was Julia, and not me. IJS.
Southwest Airlines To Be Subject of TLC Show
Do you know what you get if you get a few national headlines for giving Kevin Smith, Billie Joe Armstrong and that lady from “The L Word” a hard time? Your own series on TLC.
Of course, this isn’t the first time the airline got the TV treatment. Back in 2004, it was the subject of an A&E series, “Airline.” For the record, TLC says the recent controversy has nothing to do with the network’s interest.
“Air travel has become incredibly accessible, and as a result, millions of travelers navigate the challenges of the airport, especially during the upcoming holiday season,” said TLC general manager Amy Winter in the statement. “Southwest is a beloved brand, and their customers and employees will reveal the passion, commitment, and fantastic payoff of ‘getting there’ that helps keep us all flying.”
Stephen Colbert Urges Us All to Speak Out and Say: I am Mark Cuban
Apparently The Colbert Report bothered to broadcast a show opposite the World Series last night, and I’ve been told that Dallas-Fort Worth was among the markets in which it appeared.
During the show, Colbert revealed a new ad for his Super PAC that further cements the fact that there’s some sort of nefarious conspiracy being hatched involving Stephen Colbert, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and the NBA lockout. Watch it:
The Colbert Report
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Gina Miller is a Mom and Macie Jepson has a Job
Uncle Barky is reporting that CBS11 sports anchor-reporter Gina Miller and her husband, Jim, had a baby girl Monday night.Wonder if they had the Series on in the delivery room?
Also, former WFAA8 anchor Macie Jepson has landed an anchor position at WEWS in Cleveland. That’s the same station that former WFAA-er Chris Flanagan recently joined.
Congratulations to all!
In Defense of Zooey Deschanel’s Star-Spangled Banner at World Series Game 4
Grantland is saying that actress/singer Zooey Deschanel sang the “least-inspired National Anthem ever” before game 4 of the World Series last night. They saw no passion in her version. They wanted to hear the sounds of ”a woman who has known loss and triumph, not the pubescent squeaks of a flinching sitcom star with cute bangs and a stupid blog.”
Then their No. 1 suggestion for singers who should be on standby for National Anthem duties is Brian McKnight. Really? I can’t stand the kind of vocal acrobatics that he and singers of his ilk like to put to the Star-Spangled Banner. Have we learned nothing from Christina Aguilera’s catastrophe of a performance at the Super Bowl? (And I”m not talking about any lyrical mistakes she made, just the horrid affectations she added to note after note.)
I was at Rangers Ballpark for Game 4 last night, and loved the sense of melancholy with which Deschanel infused the familiar song. It felt almost like a funeral dirge, and I mean that as a high compliment. It was quite different from what we normally get at these games: when some mid-level country music or top 40 star is trotted out for a serviceable, but instantly forgettable, performance.
No, Deschanel didn’t deliver a triumphant version of the song, like this fantastic Whitney Houston performance. But what she gave us was unique and perfectly appropriate to lyrics that were, after all, written during an uncertain time of war.
Rev Run to Preach at Fellowship Church in Grapevine
Rev Run, aka Joseph Simmons
Two months after hosting Soul Surfer’s Bethany Hamilton, Fellowship Church in Grapevine is bringing in another big-name guest speaker: Rev Run, founding member of the influential hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. (and, yes, a practicing minister). It’s part of a new series led by Ed Young, founding pastor of Fellowship, a local megachurch. (Full disclosure: I’m a member.)
The two initially connected via Twitter (@RevRunWisdom, @edyoung), after re-tweeting things the other had posted. “He’s an amazing guy, and we thought it would be a great way to get his life-change story out there,” Young said.
Claw! Antlers!
Let’s not pretend anyone is doing a lick of work now. Game 2 in the ALCS is going on, and Derek Holland and his mustache are on the mound. Predictions? Who is going to the World Series? C’mon, waste some time here.
Leading Off (10/10/11)
This Week’s Perry Controversy: You have to question the judgment of any politician who willingly stands within 200 yards of the ever-controversial Dallas First Baptist pastor (and our neighbor!) Robert Jeffress. Last Friday, Jeffress introduced Perry at a “Values Voter Summit,” and then proceeded to dismiss Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Mormonism as “false religions” (which, I suppose, means they don’t have “values?”). Never mind that GOP front-runner Mitt Romney is Mormon. Oh wait, yes, mind it a lot, as the rest of the GOP pool spent the weekend tangled in Jeffress’ comments. Perry? No comment, but his campaign did say that the Texas governor doesn’t think Mormonism is cult. Well, that’s nice of him.
What’s The Most Important Thing to Happen to the Texas Economy: Economist Ray Perryman runs down the top ten things that impacted the growth of Texas’ economy, including some obvious factors, like DFW Airport and the high tech industry, and some not as much, such as the oil embargo and air conditioning.
Rangers Rained Out, First Pitch Today at 3:19 p.m.: Game two of the American League Championship Series was postponed yesterday due to rain, even though Arlington didn’t actually see a drop Sunday night, prompting some to question whether or not The X-Factor had anything to do with the dubious decision to push off the game. The postponement screws Rangers fans who can’t skip work today to catch the game, which was a boon to quick-actors on the secondary ticket market, but those wild deals seem to have dried up. As for today’s weather? Looks like a 10 percent chance, but better yet, Rangers baseball can stand up ratings-wise to the double feature of Judge Joe Brown and Judge Judy, the shows which normally occupy the Monday afternoon slot.
Why Texas Rangers Fans Should Hate Simon Cowell and the Fox Television Network in General
As Baseball Time in Arlington notes, the reason that two of the upcoming American League Championship Series games between your Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers are scheduled to start in the afternoon (3 p.m. our time) on Wednesday and Thursday next week is because Fox (which is airing the series) has to keep room open on its schedule for Simon Cowell’s tragicomedy, The X Factor, both nights.
Wednesday and Thursday would be games 4 and 5 of the series. So I am now rooting for the Rangers to sweep the series in four games, with the fourth game going 19 innings, forcing Fox to painfully push Cowell back out of primetime, and giving the Rangers a full week off before the World Series.
UPDATE: Forgot I have tickets to Game 6. Nevermind. Need the Tigers to win a couple.
Another Reason For Texas Rangers Fans to Hate the New York Yankees
I was all set to write this post complaining about how, yet again, the presence of the New York Yankees in the Major League Baseball postseason means that Rangers fans have to cut out of work early or call in sick to catch games.
Today’s pivotal game 3 between your defending American League champion Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays airs at 4 p.m. on TBS. Game 4 is going to be played at 1 p.m. tomorrow (central time). If both the Rangers-Rays series and the New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers series go to a fifth game, that decisive contest in Arlington will be played at 4 p.m. Thursday.
As if we needed another reason to hate the Yankees (besides their obnoxious payroll and their 27 World Series titles, compared to the Rangers’ zero), they are again hogging the prime time television spots this year. That’s what I was going to ask you to be outraged about.
But then I checked the local television ratings from this weekend, over on Uncle Barky’s site. Saturday’s exciting Game 2 at Rangers Ballpark (which I had the thrill of witnessing in person) drew an average audience of 433,542 viewers.
I know where the Dallas Cowboys are situated in the hearts of North Texas sports fans, so I shouldn’t be surprised (though I am disappointed) that their regular season game on Sunday drew three times as many viewers, an average of 1.3 million. But why must the Rangers face the indignity of seeing the Sunday night NFL game between the Ravens and the Jets (480,961 viewers) outdraw them? Not to mention the Packers-Broncos, in the middle of a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, which drew almost as many (419,994 viewers). (I know we’re comparing broadcast channels to a basic cable network, but come on.)
So maybe Dallas-Fort Worth gets the Rangers’ time-slots that they deserve.
Style Network’s Big Rich Texas, the Episode 8 Recap
Episode 8 of Style Network’s Big Rich Texas has aired and all I can say is, I think I’ve found a project for Tiger Woods and Dr. Ruth. Don’t miss the recap.
Big Rich Texas, Episode 6 Recap and the Plans For Season 2
What do you get when you mix a local tribute to Amy Winehouse, a really bad dress and snippets from the Spanish Inquisition of Collin County? Episode 6 of Style Network’s Big Rich Texas. You can catch up on the drama with this week’s recap while you celebrate the confirmation of season 2, set to begin filming in October.
Want a chance to join the cast a strikingly similar show with the same premise? Audition away. E-mail your name, age, contact info, current photos and a blurb about you and your life to dfwtxcasting@gmail.com.
Daughters should be teen to twenties.
Real Housewives Russell Armstrong Remembered as a Good Friend
(left) Russell Armstrong (the one with the moustache) looks at the camera at a senior dinner party Randy Edwards held for his friends. (right) Armstrong at the same dinner party with Edwards (in yellow).
Last week, Russell Armstrong, the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong, hanged himself. Some say his actions were a result of what was about to be aired in the next season of RHBH. Bravo, which airs the series, is now apparently re-editing its latest season because the impeding divorce between the Armstrongs was a major plot point.
Until yesterday, I didn’t know that Armstrong grew up here. Follow the jump and read the note sent to me by his friend Randy Edwards. (more…)
Cameron Mitchell: A Glee Project Winner After All
Remember Cameron Mitchell? He’s the North Texas singer who walked away from a chance to star on Glee in episode seven of The Glee Project, a reality show that airs on Oxygen. As it turns out, doing so may have helped his career more than hurt it. Not only did it generate a lot of media interest, his fan base has exploded as well. Mitchell’s YouTube channel has attracted more than 2.3 million views, his five-song “Love Can Wait” LP cracked the top 25 on iTunes—and last night he was named winner of The Glee Project’s “fan favorite” competition, which netted him a $10,000 prize.
In a video announcing the results, Mitchell thanked the “nerds” who voted for him then showed why he has so much star potential, performing Michael Buble’s “Just Haven’t Met You Yet.” He was joined by Damian McGinty—a Glee Project castmate who had been picked by the judges to go home in episode seven, but saved by Mitchell’s decision to walk.
Lucky for McGinty. Then 18-year-old singer, who hails from Ireland, ended up as one of the co-winners in last night’s series finale. He and indie rocker Samuel Larsen will each get a seven-episode storyline on Season 3 of Glee. Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell, who rounded out the top four, will appear in two episodes of the show, which returns Sept. 20.
All 12 original contenders were on hand for the finale, including Mitchell. “Coming back for the final episode, I had some hesitance to get involved again, but when I got here I realized this show has made me into a performer, and I owe everything to it,” he said.
More Tickets To This Sunday’s Closing Celebration for Martin Creed at the Nasher
Yesterday’s we gave away a few passes to the Nasher Sculpture Center’s celebration for the closing of the Martin Creed exhibition, and they went fast. If you missed out, here’s a second chance: we have EIGHT pairs to giveaway over on FrontRow, so head over there an find out how to win.
And while you over on FrontRow, check out some of today’s highlights, which include an article on singer Johnny Mathis; five questions with charismatic heavy metal bass player/Boiler Room owner Stevie Benton of Drowning Pool; an interview with artist/filmmaker Miranda July, whose The Future opens tomorrow (check back tomorrow morning for reviews of all of this week’s movie releases); a recap of last night’s appearance by Ken Burns sponsored by the Dallas Bar Association, where the filmmaker talked about his new documentary on prohibition; and another giveaway, tickets for Johnny Mathis at the Meyerson.
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