"I call myself a fundit." --Joy Behar
Today, the New York Times' Jacques Steinberg took a look at The View's ever increasing role in the political arena in an article entitled 'The View' Has Its Eye On Politics This Year. The show has evolved from Rosie and Elisabeth's playground fights into a legitimate forum for political discussion and campaigning. (Steinberg notes that Bill Clinton only considered a visit to the show once he had seen McCain on it a week earlier.) Yes, it is interesting how this show has evolved, but it is kind of alarming that there must be such close analysis to the fact that a group of women could be interested in discussing such matters, and that their female, daytime demographic would be interested in watching. BOO underlying sexism.
"The Sixth network is playback." --Alan Wurtzel
Also in the Times, Bill Carter writes of A Television Season That Lasts All Year. This week marks the unofficial beginning of the fall television season in that it is when Nielsen Research starts to pay attention. Interesting tidbit that even I, the most avid tuber, did not know is that the tradition of a television season beginning in September dates back to the fact that this is when new car models were introduced. HUH! Anyway, due to outside factors like a crippling writer strike and competition from other new technologies, big wigs everywhere are claiming that the television season is now year round for both broadcast and development and that this September business is hooey. No matter what "they" say, this ain't the truth. There are still only so many dollars that can go into funding new pilots, and what right minded exec is going to leave money in the bank in case something better comes along six months from now? I will be shocked that if by next year, even after having a full year of this alleged 365 day plan, we don't see the same emphasis on September series premieres.
Mr. Wurtzel does raise an interesting point about digital recording technology, though. When viewers aren't watching network television, it's most likely because they are watching something that is DVRd. It is hard to think something that has brought me so much joy could potentially bring me so much sorrow. I vow to watch one commercial break per episode when watching a DVRd program. You do the same, readers. CLAP IF YOU BELIEVE!...what?
"Serial killers are so common on television that you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one." --Adam Buckman
In The New York Post, Buckman takes a look at CBS' The Mentalist premiering tonight. While his assessment chooses to focus on the cliché, that being television's love affair with serial killers, I commend CBS for doing an okay, just okay, job at creating a show that attempts to put a quirky and highly skilled male lead into a world of mystery (this seems to have become a genre in and of itself). Simon Baker's performance in the pilot is good enough to give this series the old college try.
