DURANGO TV

Bad Girl Courtney Skinny Dipping with Bachelor Ben Flajnik in Puerto Rico

2012-01-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Courtney & Ben Skinny Dipping in Puerto Rico

Tonight is the infamous episode of The Bachelor where the bad girl, villain, Courtney Robertson, to the upset of all his other potential wives, convinces Bachelor Ben to go skinny dipping with her so she can rock his world.

For some unfathomable to me, reason, for this skinny dipping scene, ABC is putting big black blocks over the location where Courtney and Ben's underwear was located, prior to removal.

This strikes me as the height, absolute height, of hypocrisy.

Are we protecting impressionable young minds with this particular censorship?

But we don't protect those same impressionable young minds from watching a couple dozen women overly imbibe in alcohol and behave badly?

The bevy of potential wives from which Ben can select his mate seem to be unusually profuse in the use of profanity. To protect those same impressionable young minds this profanity is bleeped out. But, it is fairly easy to tell what particular piece of profanity is being spewed.

We don't seem to be protecting impressionable young minds from seeing Ben serial kissing dozens of women. The volume of germs being exchanged is appalling.

The current iteration of The Bachelor has yet to crack the Top 20 in the Nielsen Ratings. Judging from what I read in TV Forums, on the Interwebs, there is widespread dislike for this particular bachelor. Complaints about him being boring and looking like the caveman in Geico commercials. I think it was Geico.

Below is a YouTube video, uncensored, of Courtney & Ben's Skinny Dipping Romp in Puerto Rico. The censored version is viewable tonight, January 30 on ABC at 8/7C. I don't know how long this uncensored video version will last before ABC asks YouTube to take it down........

On The Real Housewives of Atlanta Marlo Brings Bad-Mannered Crazy to Capetown South Africa

2012-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

NeNe Trying To Calm Down Marlo
Before She Slices Anyone

I really need an intervention to break me of my addiction to Train Wreck Reality TV.

The fact that, not only did I watch Sunday night's latest episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, I found myself laughing multiple times,which possibly should be cause for concern.

It has now become a staple of the various Bravo Real Housewive's series to have the girls take a trip to some exotic locale.

The pretense is always that it is one of the housewife's who instigates these trips, not the Bravo producers.

In the last season of The Real Housewives of New York it was Countess LuAnn, who I don't think could plan a shopping trip to Wal-Mart, who supposedly instigated and planned a trip for the New York girls to visit Morocco. Including LuAnn, supposedly, organizing a group camel ride to an elaborate tent in the desert.

With the Atlanta housewives it is Phaedra who instigates, and supposedly, plans, a trip to Africa.

Yet, even though this is Phaedra's trip, somehow NeNe brings along the troublemaker Marlo, with Phaedra having no say in the matter.

Obviously, due to the likely fact that Marlo was added to the trip by the Bravo producers to add drama potential.

Afterall, Marlo is a woman convicted of multiple felonies, including slicing up a woman with whom Marlo got in a bar fight.

It was a long flight from Atlanta to Capetown, South Africa.

Marlo and NeNe brought enough luggage to stock a Goodwill Store.

Upon arrival in their humongous luxury suites Marlo proceeded to act crazy with her demands of the suffering concierge.

NeNe was surprised that Capetown was modern. Like America. I guess she was expected grass huts.

The pretense is that this trip is Phaedra's. We do not seem to extend the pretense to Phaedra claiming to pay for it all. The luxury suites, the first class plane tickets, the yacht trip in the harbor, the upcoming safari.

With about 20 minutes to go in Sunday night's episode we saw clearly why the Bravo producers included Marlo.

After lecturing the housewives all day about proper etiquette, Marlo went totally off the Miss Manners farm when Cynthia instigated Marlo getting all upset over Sheree not inviting Marlo to a party, a party to which Sheree accepted an invitation prior to knowing Marlo would be along for the trip.

But, Miss Manners Marlo, who thinks nothing about crashing a trip uninvited, also thinks she should be included in going to a party to which she was not invited.

This led to what may be the weirdest screaming fight in Housewive's History. It was between the now totally ill-mannered Marlo, and Sheree. Somehow Marlo not getting invited to a party quickly gave Marlo reason to make all sorts of insults regarding Sheree's financial state. Which had Sheree going on and on about Marlo sucking money from a 100 year old geezer.

The side comments, commenting on this fight, from Kandi, Sheree and NeNe, was what had me laughing. The details of which I no longer remember. Except for Kandi pointing out the irony of Miss Manners Marlo turning totally non-mannerly ghetto in a flash.

Eventually the screaming between Marlo and Sheree degrading down to this very strange thing where the two were making what sounded like bird noises at each other.

It is NeNe who is usually at the center, or the cause, of these type altercations. This time NeNe tried to stop the yelling. And actually made a comment along the line of if this is what I sound like when I argue, well this just sounds stupid.

Next week it looks like a turtle attacks the housewives when they are on safari. Maybe it was a rhinoceros.

On Alcatraz Hurley is Obsessed with an Island Other than the LOST Island

2012-01-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

Alcatraz Monday Nights at 9/8C on FOX

Prior to watching an episode, I knew absolutely nothing about the new FOX series, Alcatraz, other than the fact this was a new J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Production, like LOST, and like LOST, had something to do with an island.

When I set my DVR to record Alcatraz I thought I was recording the premiere episode. Turns out that premiere occurred a week prior, with a pair of back to back one hour episodes.

I'm guessing had I watched those first two episodes, the episode I watched last night, it being the 3rd episode, would have been easier to understand.

From what I watched last night I am gleaning that Alcatraz is a sci-fi crime procedural. That back in the 1960s, when Alcatraz was closed, somehow a lot of inmates and some guards, got themselves into some sort of netherworld, from whence they somehow go back to the future where they take up committing the same type crimes that got them sent to Alcatraz.

An FBI agent, Emerson Hauser, played by Sam Neill, discovered that the prisoners had gone missing back in 1963. Realizing they the FBI had a big problem a brightly lit underground bunker was constructed. I don't know where this bunker is located. Under Alcatraz? Maybe?

Back in the future when one of the prisoners is captured, or killed, he is brought back to this underground bunker. The one and only episode I have watched ended with the FBI agent carrying in the body of the bad guy, over his shoulder, delivering him to an autopsy type doctor, who smoked a cigarette, while swaying to music, getting ready to do whatever it was he was going to do to the body. Bring it back to life? I don't know.

Safely off the LOST island, Hurley, he being Jorge Garcia in real life, plays Dr. Diego Soto, nicknamed "Doc." A comic book genius who knows more about Alcatraz than anyone in the world. Hurley solves the mystery of the Alcatraz bad guy's kidnapping of a little boy, somehow using some very arcane clues, like the bad guy likes cherry pie, to eventually rescue the little boy who had managed to escape from a LOST-like hatch, chased by the bad guy, who was shot and killed by the good FBI guy, right in the nick of time.

LOST like music often served as the soundtrack, which I thought odd. The mystery upon mystery element of Alcatraz is also very LOST-like.

I found Alcatraz held my attention for the hour. I'll give it another hour and see if it still holds my attention.

Monday nights at 9/8C on FOX.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for January 16 - January 22

2012-01-25T05:05:00.000-08:00

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for January 16 - January 22. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

American Idol returns for season 11 still at the top of the Nielsen Ratings.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average(in millions)

1.	NFC Champs: Giants/49ers	Fox	57.6	--

2.	American Idol (Wed.)	Fox	21.9	21.9

3.	American Idol (Thu.)	Fox	18.0	18.0

4.	Big Bang Theory	CBS	15.8	15.4

5.	Person of Interest	CBS	14.4	13.2

6.	The Mentalist	CBS	14.2	14.0

7.	Betty White: 90th Birthday	NBC	13.9	--

8.	NCIS	CBS	13.2	20.3

9.	Criminal Minds	CBS	13.0	13.7

*	Two and a Half Men	CBS	13.0	17.6

11.	Off Their Rockers	NBC	12.3	--

12.	CSI	CBS	12.0	12.7

13.	Modern Family	ABC	11.9	14.2

14.	2 Broke Girls	CBS	11.4	13.0

*	Rob	CBS	11.4	12.4

16.	Mike & Molly	CBS	11.1	13.0

17.	Hawaii Five	CBS	10.7	13.0

18.	Alcatraz	Fox	10.1	10.1

*	How I Met Your Mother	CBS	10.1	11.0

20.	Castle	ABC	9.4	11.6

*	Grey's Anatomy	ABC	9.4	12.1

*	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	9.4	16.9

It's Official: If The Series Is Not Cancelled Due To Boring Ben Then Emily Maynard Is The Next Bachelorette

2012-01-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ben Flajnik Doing a Nerd Imitation

I have heard it opined a time or two that much of the TV I watch is drivel. I prefer to characterize it as I am drawn to Train Wreck Bad Reality TV.

Likely the worst of the Train Wreck Bad Reality TV drivel that I watch is ABC's Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.

The current edition, with boring Ben Flajnik being The Bachelor, is being particularly bad.

Ben's marriage proposal was rejected by previous Bachelorette Ashley. Ashley was as boring as Ben.

That is Ben Flajnik in the picture above. Ben seems to have a very limited vocabulary. He favors words like "amazing," "awesome" and "incredible' in various iterations. Sometimes all in one sentence, such as "You are so amazing, awesome and incredible."

It seems that the producers of The Bachelor cast for potential mates the same way Hell's Kitchen casts for cooks. The Bachelor seems to case about 20 psychotic nutcases, along with 3 or 4 women who might be suitable marriage material.

And then add a lot of alcohol to assure that the crazy gets unleashed.

Ben Trying to Scare a Girl to Death

Each iteration of this series now seems to include a stock figure, as in one boy or girl who is in it for all the wrong reasons, who treats it as a game show on which she, or he, is a contestant, with the Bachelor or Bachelorette the prize.

Currently this contestant is Courtney. I believe it is Courtney who talks Ben into going skinnydipping next week, in Puerto Rico, and after they are naked in the water tells him she is about to rock his world.

One thing I have noticed on this season of The Bachelor is when the girls go on a date with Ben they wear their bikinis under their outerwear.

Last week Ben took a group of girls skiing down a hill of manmade snow in San Francisco. Somehow the girls were prepared, with bikinis, when Ben ordered them to strip and ski.

This week Ben took the potential wives to Park City, Utah. There he had solo dates with a mousy blonde whose name I do not remember and a cute redhead named Jennifer.

Ben took Jennifer on yet one more of the sadistic try to scare a girl to death type dates. Was it last week Ben had Emily climb to the top of the Oakland Bay Bridge to terrify her? This week it was scared of heights Jennifer whom Ben made lower herself into a Utah crater, via a cable, with the cable snapping part way down, dropping the loving couple into a pool of water.

I forgot to mention, Jennifer came prepared to strip down to the always on bikini underwear.

Maybe it is just me, but if I ever went on a "date" with a person and they took me to climb up a bridge or climb into a hole I think I would quickly decide I am not interested in this nutjob.

But, it is not like Ben actually plans or executes these dates, even though that is the pretense. It's all part of the overly produced, overly scripted ridiculousness of this sometimes amusing example of Train Wreck TV.

Emily Maynard, the Next Bachelorette

And coming up.

If ABC does not cancel this franchise due to the big drop in ratings, "Emily Maynard will be looking for love on the next season of The Bachelorette.'

And you just know she won't find it.

Love that is.

Anymore than she did with Brad Womack.

Or he with her.

Lisa's SUR Opening on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Was Disturbing

2012-01-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

This week's next to last, season 2 episode, of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was an odd one.

Real odd.

Very contrived. Almost like it was scripted.

I thought the episode would start off with the girls still in Hawaii obsessing over Kim. Instead the episode began on the mainland.

Mainly focused on the opening of Lisa's SUR restaurant add-on.

Did I make it up in a bad dream last night, or did I actually see on this episode that SUR stands for Sexy Upscale Restaurant?

Lisa's staged SUR opening had so many drama elements piled up it was ridiculous.

There was an ex-girl friend of Adrienne's husband Paul. Not much drama came of that.

Then there was a waitress who Brandi learned had an affair with her ex, Eddie Cibrian, while Brandi was in the hospital birthing a baby. When Lisa learned that one of her waitresses had done Brandi wrong, Lisa sent the waitress home for the night. Not much drama came of that either.

Brandi seems so level-headed and funny. Eddie Cibrian must be a moron.

And then there was Adrienne's personal chef, Bernie, who shows up and is greeted by Lisa who then tells an assistant she doesn't know who that was. And then speculates that it might be Adrienne's cook. Bernie does not like Lisa, always referring to her as that "British lady across the street." Bernie did not provide any drama.

And then there was the uninvited arrival of Cedric, the Houseguest from Hell. Finally some of the scripting delivers some drama. Several were shocked to see Cedric there. Lisa asked Cedric to leave. Cedric did not seem to understand why Lisa would want him to leave.

Methinks the Bravo producers told Cedric they'd give him a thousand bucks if he showed up to make for some drama.

And then there was Taylor.

Taylor Armstrong.

Which is not her real name. A weird looking Oklahoma con-woman who, I think, drove her husband, Russell. to suicide.

Taylor shows up at Lisa's opening of SUR with her extremely creepy, likely ethics violating, supposed therapist. The therapist is all simplistic smarm, which Taylor pretends is helping her.

Arriving at Lisa's SUR opening, a night which should have been all about Lisa and her opening, Taylor insists all the housewives gather together so Taylor can once again ruin a party with her personal pity party.

All the housewives pretended to care, except for Kim who locked herself in what must have been SUR's only bathroom, because soon there was a line wanting to use the facilities. Kim's gay Bull Mastiff boy friend, Ken, tried to get Kim out of the bathroom, to no avail.

Finally, after what seemed a couple of hours Kim emerged from the bathroom, acting happy like a crazed loony bird. Because that is what she is.

The scene of Kim telling her sister Kyle about her litany of woes with the gay Bull Mastiff boyfriend, including being 3 months late with ovulating, well, it was just too much.

How can Kim still be ovulating? Kim appears to be at least 60. Is that not well past the period when periods arrive and well into the age of menopause?

I think Kim's gay Bull Mastiff boyfriend, Ken, is a saint to put up with that nutcase. Just watching Kim get ready to go to Lisa's SUR opening was bizarre. Hauling so much stuff to a one night stay in a hotel? And then throwing it all over the place, on the floor?

What drugs is Kim on and why does she have such a problem keeping track of her stash, I watched and wondered?

And another thing. Is California Child Protective Services looking into removing Taylor's daughter, Kennedy, from Taylor's care?

NeNe Leakes Playing Synchronized Swim Coach Roz Washington on GLEE

2012-01-18T14:53:00.000-08:00

Screen Cap of NeNe as Roz Washington on GLEE

A couple weeks ago when I learned that The Real Housewives of Atlanta's NeNe Leakes was going to be on GLEE, playing a swim coach, I thought it was just the work of some trouble causing troll trying to cause trouble on an Internet forum, making up something so ridiculous.

But, last night I saw and heard it with my own eyes and ears.

NeNe is on GLEE.

Not only was NeNe on GLEE, NeNe was quite good on GLEE. Very funny. Playing swim coach, Roz Washington.

NeNe's big scene was her reading the riot act to Sam Evans, newly on the William McKinley High Synchronized Swim Team, in his attempt to win a letter jacket so he can re-win the heart of Mercedes. I really don't understand a lot of the GLEE plot lines.

Anyway, NeNe, I mean, Roz Washington, berated Sam Evans (pasty white Chord Overstreet in real life) about having the biggest lips she's ever seen on a white boy. And crooked nipples. And empathized with Sam about how hard it must be to go through life with crooked nipples.

I have no idea what crooked nipples are.

Roz launched into having a dream. Very appropriate for the day after Martin Luther King Day. Roz insisted that Sam know she'd won the bronze medal for Individual Synchronized Swimming at the Beijing Olympics.

I can not picture NeNe in a swimming suit. I'm almost 100% we have not seen that on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

It may be amusing to watch and hear Roz Washington tangle with Sue Sylvester, a character who's character the writers of GLEE seem to alter with every episode.

If the NeNe we have come to know on The Real Housewives of Atlanta shows up on the GLEE set, NeNe's acting career will be short lived. I don't think a violent temper tantrum with strangling moves will go over well on the GLEE set. NeNe's is bigger than anyone on GLEE, I think. The cast will be terrified if NeNe goes into her Godzilla mode.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TVShows for January 9 - January 15

2012-01-18T13:08:00.001-08:00

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for January 9 - January 15. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average(in millions)

1.	AFC Playoffs: Broncos/Patriots	CBS	34.2	--

2.	NCIS	CBS	21.0	20.5

3.	Golden Globe Awards	NBC	16.9	--

4.	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	16.6	17.2

5.	Big Bang Theory	CBS	16.1	15.4

6.	Person of Interest	CBS	14.9	13.1

7.	The Mentalist	CBS	13.6	14.0

8.	Rob	CBS	13.5	13.5

9.	Blue Bloods	CBS	12.1	12.1

*	Modern Family	ABC	12.1	14.0

11.	Undercover Boss	CBS	11.6	11.6

12.	Simpsons	Fox	11.5	8.0

13.	Unforgettable	CBS	11.2	13.1

14.	Grey's Anatomy	ABC	10.7	12.0

15.	CSI: NY	CBS	10.6	10.7

16.	NFC Playoffs: 49ers/Saints	Fox	10.1	--

17.	Castle	ABC	9.8	11.8

*	Once Upon A Time	ABC	9.8	11.9

19.	The Good Wife	CBS	9.4	11.9

*	The Middle	ABC	9.4	9.4

The Top Chef Texas Last Chance Kitchen Redemption Island Twist Does Not Work For Me

2012-01-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am liking Top Chef Texas, but I am not liking the Redemption Island addition called Last Chance Kitchen.

For one thing, to watch Last Chance Kitchen you have to watch it online on the Bravo TV Last Chance Kitchen webpage.

The last Chef standing in Last Chance Kitchen gets to re-enter the competition. I do not know how that works.

Several episodes ago there was a Top Chef Texas episode where Padma told two Chefs to pack their knives and go.

Those two Chefs Padma sent packing were Dakota and Nyesha. The Chefs had been paired in teams of two, with it being Nyesha's misfortune to be paired with Dakota, who messed up whatever it was Dakota and Nyesha were cooking. Dakota accepted full blame for the error.

After being sent packing Dakota and Nyesha soon found out about the Last Chance Kitchen Redemption Island twist.

In a 3 way Last Chance match up it was Dakota vs. Nyesha vs. Whitney, cooking in a wok with cactus as the main ingredient.

Tom Colicchio is the sole judge in Last Chance Kitchen. He judged Nyesha's cactus dish the best, and thus began Nyesha's string of beating one Chef after another.

The following week Nyesha was up against Heather the Bully, with the challenge being using 3 techniques, Frying, Injecting and Foaming to make a dish.

Colicchio again liked Nyesha's dish best.

Next up was formerly fat Malibu Chris, who was sent packing by Padma due to bad barbecue at the brutal BBQ challenge. Chris and Nyesha had to make a dish from ingredients bought at a Gas Station.

Colicchio again liked Nyesha's dish best.

The latest Chef told to pack his knives and go was Ty-Lor, a victim of the brutal Restaurant Wars. When Ty-Lor faced Nyesha the challenge was to make a pastry dessert in 30 minutes. Each chef got to pick a sous chef from the already booted Chefs. Ty-Lor picked Malibu Chris, while Nyesha picked Ty-Lor's friend, Heather.

Colicchio again liked Nyesha's dish best.

Now, I'll get to why I don't like this Last Chance Kitchen Redemption Island twist.

This week Ty-Lor goes from the exhausting Restaurant Wars to being told to pack his knives and go, to finding he is still in it and has to do some more cooking.

Meanwhile Nyesha is not exhausted from Restaurant Wars, she just calmly relaxes and awaits her next opportunity to have Colicchio like her dish best.

The week before, when Padma sent Malibu Chris packing his knives and going, it was after a grueling, staying up all night, of BBQing, and then being out in the hot sun the next day, finishing the BBQing.

While Malibu Chris went sleep deprived and cooked in grueling heat, Nyesha just calmly relaxed and waited in air-conditioned comfort.

Clearly this gives a HUGE advantage to the Chef who is already on Redemption Island, waiting in Last Chance Kitchen. With each fallen Chef, Nyesha gets stronger, as she has more and more time to rest, while the still competing Chefs are put through all sorts of misery.

I can see where there will be some semblance of poetic justice if Nyesha keeps knocking off the incoming Chefs and gets back in the competition, after her earlier elimination, which seemed very unfair.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for January 2 - January 8

2012-01-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for January 2 - January 8. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Hawaii Five-0 is now a bonafide Top 10 Hit in the latest Nielsen Ratings.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average(in millions)

1.	NFL Playoffs: Lions/Saints	NBC	31.8	--

2.	NCIS	CBS	19.8	20.5

3.	60 Minutes	CBS	18.1	14.9

4.	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	17.1	17.2

5.	Modern Family	ABC	14.0	14.1

6.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	13.9	18.3

7.	2 Broke Girls	CBS	12.1	13.4

*	Grey's Anatomy	ABC	12.1	12.2

9.	Hawaii Five-0	CBS	11.9	13.4

*	Mike & Molly	CBS	11.9	13.3

*	Unforgettable	CBS	11.9	13.3

12.	Big Bang Theory	CBS	11.7	15.3

13.	The Good Wife	CBS	11.6	12.1

14.	Blue Bloods	CBS	11.3	12.0

15.	CSI: NY	CBS	10.6	10.7

16.	CSI: Miami	CBS	10.5	11.5

17.	Once Upon A Time	ABC	10.3	12.2

18.	How I Met Your Mother	CBS	10.1	11.2

19.	The Middle	ABC	10.0	9.4

20.	The Mentalist	CBS	9.1	14.0

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Downward Spiral to a 2nd Season's Conclusion

2012-01-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

Sunday's Real Housewives of Atlanta episode was the most boring Housewives episode I've watched in a long time. It was so boring it had me thinking it is time to bail on the Atlanta girls.

And then there is last night's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

It was not that I found this episode boring, what I found was that it was not entertaining or amusing.

Maybe the Taylor Armstrong specter has cast such a pall that it is hard to be amused.

That and seeing people who are way too wealthy going somewhere that is way too fun, like Hawaii, staying in a luxurious resort, and then not being able to just enjoy the moment you are living in, but instead to fuss and fume about the ridiculous, is not pleasant television viewing. It is not even good trainwreck television viewing.

By ridiculous, I mean Kim Richards. Why invite her anywhere? I don't get. Yes. I can see the sister, Kyle, caring, but why do the others? So much Sturm and Drang over Kim missing a plane and never being on time.

A few voices of reasons were unable to break through the clutter, those reasonable voices being Brandi, Adrienne, Paul and Lisa.

Kim's Ken boyfriend is a piece of work. At times he seems like he is almost the reasonable one. And then he does something like confront Paul and Adrienne, who where talking nice about Ken, with Kim, making everyone, including the voyeuristic viewers, uncomfortable.

Anyway, I think this second season of RHOBH is about over. The Reunion Show has already been filmed.

Next week's previews show Taylor with a faded black eye. And having another confrontation with Camille.

Explaining the faded black eye, which was not in evidence during Taylor's post leaving Russell meeting with Dana, might be interesting. Taylor is an extremely highly evolved liar.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 26 - January 1

2012-01-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 26 - January 1. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average(in millions)

1.	NFL: Cowboys/Giants	NBC	27.6	21.2

2.	60 Minutes	CBS	14.5	--

3.	Football Night Pt. 3	NBC	14.4	11.8

4.	New Year's Rockin Eve '12	ABC	12.9	--

5.	NCIS	CBS	12.6	20.5

6.	Criminal Minds	CBS	10.6	14.1

7.	Big Bang Theory	CBS	10.2	15.5

8.	CSI	CBS	9.7	13.0

9.	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	9.2	--

10.	The Mentalist	CBS	8.9	14.3

11.	Person of Interest	CBS	8.5	13.2

12.	Kennedy Center Honors	CBS	8.4	--

*	New Year's Rockin' Eve: 40th Anniv.	ABC	8.4	--

14.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	8.1	--

15.	Rules of Engagement	CBS	7.6	10.9

16.	Mike & Molly	CBS	7.4	--

17.	CSI: NY	CBS	7.3	10.7

*	Football Nt. Pt. 2	NBC	7.3	6.3

19.	Unforgettable	CBS	7.1	--

20.	Blue Bloods	CBS	6.8	12.1

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Excessive Cheeky Kissing

2012-01-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Brandi made this week's episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills more amusing than the norm. Brandi has a knack for unfiltered one-liners.

I particularly found Brandi's description of Kim Richard's odd looking Ken boyfriend, as a Gay Bull Mastiff, to be both funny and accurate.

Kyle's White Party is a very strange party.

Kim thinking she was the center attraction while dancing with her live in Gay Bull Mastiff was amusing.

I think being in rehab is not really where Kim needs to be. A mental health hospital facility would seem to be more useful.

And why was everyone so wanting Kim to make the plane to Hawaii on time? What possible fun do they have being around Kim? Did they not remember Kim's bizarre behavior on the trip to Camille's place in Colorado? Or Kim's non-stop talking when Adrienne took her to Sacramento for a basketball game?

What is with the constant cheek kissing these women engage in every time they meet? I've never seen this behavior in real life. The morning of their first day in Hawaii, they'd been together travelling the day before, yet upon seeing each other the next morning, it was more greetings with kisses on both cheeks.

The way Mauricio greets Ken on the beach that next morning was also odd, as if they'd not seen each other in a long time.

The only pair who seem comfortable with each other are Brandi and Camille. Both look great in bikinis, with Brandi's bikini being one of the teeniest bikinis I have ever seen. Lisa's remarks about Brandi's bikini were amusing, as was Lisa's husband Todd's attentions towards Brandi having Lisa saying that she might be forced to put out.

Lisa can be quite vulgar for a prim and proper British gal.

Going back to the mainland, the whole Taylor and Russell thing is just annoying, as was Taylor's session with her supposed therapist. It seems so clearly obvious that Taylor had lied to Russell about what Camille had said that prompted Russell's email delivered threat to sue, why did none of these people think to ask Russell what it was that he thinks Camille said?

The episode ended with Taylor's call to her new best friend, Lisa, in Hawaii, with Kyle listening, to announce that she has separated from Russell and has changed the locks on the house.

The previews for next week let us know the important information that Kim and Ken make it to Hawaii, where they proceed to be annoying pains.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 19 - December 25

2011-12-28T16:40:00.000-08:00

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 19 - December 25. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average(in millions)

1.	NFL: Bears/Packers	NBC	24.0	20.8

2.	Football Night Pt. 3	NBC	14.7	11.7

3.	X Factor (Thu.)	Fox	12.6	12.4

4.	NCIS	CBS	12.4	20.8

5.	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	11.4	17.0

6.	X Factor (Wed.)	Fox	11.2	12.5

7.	Big Bang Theory	CBS	9.3	15.9

8.	The Mentalist	CBS	8.5	14.4

9.	Person of Interest	CBS	8.1	13.4

*	Unforgettable	CBS	8.1	13.1

11.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	7.9	18.4

12.	Mike & Molly	CBS	7.8	13.3

13.	Blue Bloods	CBS	7.3	12.5

*	CSI: NY	CBS	7.3	11.0

*	CSI	CBS	7.3	13.0

16.	2 Broke Girls	CBS	7.2	13.3

*	Terra Nova	Fox	7.2	9.6

18.	Hawaii Five-0	CBS	7.0	13.2

19.	Criminal Minds	CBS	6.8	14.1

*	Rules of Engagement	CBS	6.8	11.1

Summer of 2012 the Re-Boot of Dallas Arrives Along with J.R. Ewing

2011-12-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

For years it seems there have been reports of a re-boot of Dallas. A few years ago there was a reunion show. Sue Ellen had held up well. Pam Ewing, not so well. Lucy Ewing had put on a lot of weight. J.R. Ewing had become elderly. Cliff Barnes looked very unhealthy. Bobby Ewing had aged well.

This coming summer the Dallas re-boot becomes a reality on TNT. Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Charlene Tilton and Steve Kenaly will be on the Dallas re-boot pilot.

That is J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen, Lucy and Ray Krebs for those of you, like me, with bad memories.

TNT has ordered 10 episodes.

I'm assuming they won't be bringing back Pam Ewing from the dead. Although, with Dallas, there is some precedent for such things.

The original Dallas was filmed mostly in Hollywood. The new Dallas is being filmed, for the most part, in Dallas.

I have not come across Dallas being filmed. Yet. But I don't go to Dallas all that often. Sue Ellen needs to go vegetable shopping at the Dallas Farmers Market. I did not know of the existence of the Dallas Farmers Market when I moved to Dallas. I would have if it had been shown on the original Dallas.

J.R. and Bobby's kids are all grown up for the new Dallas. Someone named Josh Henderson plays John Ross. While Jesse Metcalfe is Bobby Ewing's adopted son, Christopher.

I may get Dallas a look when it arrives, if I can find TNT among all the channels AT & T U-Verse sends to me.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 12 - December 18

2011-12-21T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 12 - December 18. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average(in millions)

1.	NCIS	CBS	19.1	21.5

2.	60 Minutes	CBS	18.5	14.7

3.	NBC Sunday Night Football	NBC	16.6	20.6

4.	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	16.4	17.4

5.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	14.9	19.0

6.	The Mentalist	CBS	13.2	14.6

7.	Survivor: South Pacific Final	CBS	13.1	--

8.	Criminal Minds	CBS	12.9	14.4

*	Person of Interest	CBS	12.9	13.5

10.	Mike & Molly	CBS	12.8	13.6

11.	2 Broke Girls	CBS	12.5	13.6

12.	CSI	CBS	12.2	13.2

13.	Unforgettable	CBS	11.3	13.5

14.	Hawaii Five-O	CBS	11.2	13.5

15.	Survivor: South Pacific	CBS	10.9	12.5

16.	X Factor (Wed)	Fox	10.8	12.5

17.	2 Broke Girls	CBS	10.2	--

*	The Big Bang Theory	CBS	10.2	16.2

19.	Survivor: Reunion	CBS	9.9	--

*	X Factor (Thu.)	Fox	9.9	12.3

A Very Bruised X Factor Limps Toward The End

2011-12-17T08:56:00.000-08:00

One does not have to do much info searching to learn that I am not alone in finding Simon Cowell's US version of The X Factor to be a major disappointment and an over all big DUD.

I'm glad to learn I am not the only one appalled by how badly produced this overly slick train wreck is. And that the host, Steve Jones, just is really not American TV worthy or ready. Send him back to his home island.

An article in Reuters pretty much says all that needs to be said about the failure of The X Factor to have the necessary X Factor to be a hit on American TV....

Bruised "X Factor" limps toward finals

(Reuters) - American viewers have chosen the three singers who will compete in the finals of "The X Factor" after a first season that underwhelmed critics and raised questions about audience fatigue ahead of returning TV contests "American Idol" and "The Voice."

Power ballad singer Melanie Amaro, 19, bluesy Josh Krajcik, 30, and troubled rapper Chris Rene, 28, will sing for a $5 million recording contract in next week's two-part finale of the Fox show.

But after major hype from creator and judge Simon Cowell -- who had initially predicted "X Factor" would replace "American Idol" as the most-watched show on U.S. television -- the program's bickering mentor-judges, big production numbers and flashing lights has left many critics scratching their heads.

"As a viewer, it is agonizing to watch and just so fake that none of it is compelling, " said Annie Barrett, who covers "X Factor" for Entertainment Weekly.

"Everything is a gimmick. It is a glossy, shiny version of a reality show that might give you a seizure because of all the lasers and lights," Barrett told Reuters.

Thursday's semi-final, in which 20-year-old hopeful Marcus Canty was eliminated, drew 9.6 million viewers -- below the audience for a repeat of CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" and less than half the regular audience for "American Idol" earlier this year.

Fox executives say they are happy with the viewer numbers, especially among teens, and the show has helped the network reverse its historically patchy fall ratings in the 18-49 viewer group most coveted by advertisers.

Fox has already ordered a second season for the fall of 2012, calling "X Factor" a "monumental success."

CRYING FOR CROW

Andy Dehnart, editor of realityblurred.com, said that for all the new tweaks in the singing contest formula, few were for the better.

"There is no real national buzz about it. I don't think 'X Factor' has broken through the zeitgeist in the same way as 'American Idol'," said Dehnart.

Indeed, it seems the first season's most memorable moment came a week ago when bubbly 13-year-old Rachel Crow collapsed in tears on being sent home, sparking viewer outrage against judge Nicole Scherzinger.

Whoever wins after public votes are announced next Thursday, Cowell's hopes of discovering a new global singing star -- who will be signed to his Sony Music-owned record label SyCo -- may be dashed.

None of the instantly downloadable songs from this week's semi-final were in the Top 50 iTunes singles charts on Friday.

"I don't see anyone here who is going to be the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, which is what the show claimed it was going to do," said Dehnart.

Barrett said that four months of "X Factor" twice a week had made her appreciate "American Idol".

But with NBC's surprise hit "The Voice" returning in February and "Idol's" 11th season beginning in mid-January on Fox, Americans may soon lose their appetite for lengthy singing contests.

"I do think there will be some fatigue going into next season with both 'American Idol' and 'The Voice.' Two nights a week is a huge commitment," Barrett said.

But Dehnart was more optimistic. "If we are going to see any kind of fatigue with this kind of show, it is going to show up now. But I wouldn't be surprised if they all work on their own level."

Top Chef Texas Cooks In Tim Love's Lonesome Dove Western Bistro Where Dakota & Nyesha Are Sent Home For Raw Venison

2011-12-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Tim Love Drinking Tequila with Padma

That is Padma on the left, Tim Love in the middle, and Formerly Fat Chris on the right, during the Quickfire Challenge on this week's Top Chef Texas.

The Quickfire Challenge this week had to do with choosing a specific Don Julio tequila selection and somehow making it taste good with some food item of the chef's creation.

Tim Love and Padma then sampled the tequila wares, taking shots of tequila as they did so, with each sampling. By the end of the sampling Padma and Tim did not seem too tipsy.

Ty-Lor, he of last week's BBQ steak cut hand disaster, won the Quickfire. But no Immunity. The pain of the lack of immunity was somewhat mitigated by winning $5,000.

For the Elimination Challenge Tim Love flew in some of his chef friends for Game Night at his Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The chefs were paired with whoever they were standing next to.

That had Heather and Bev cooking together. Heather being the Big Bully who picked on Beverly last week, but won a new car anyway.

The chefs were told what game they would be cooking. Wild things like quail, venison, elk and duck.

And that they would be cooking in the kitchen of Tim Love's Lonesome Dove Western Bistro.

This is the first time whilst watching Top Chef that the cooking took place in the town I am living in and in a restaurant with which I was familiar.

I thought to myself, Lonesome Dove is not very big, how are they all going to cook there? Turns out, the size and lack of air-conditioning of Tim Love's kitchen did turn out to be an issue with the sweating chefs.

On his Bravo Blog, judge Hugh Acheson had this to say about Tim Love and his kitchen, "Time to get to Ft. Worth. Tim Love owns this town. It’s a great honky-tonk town. The tiny kitchen was about 150 degrees and the chefs are vying for space in an already emotional clusterf---ed space."

We only saw a short flash of the Fort Worth Stockyards before we entered the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro. We saw no Cattle Drive down the Stockyards main drag, no cowboy on a horse.

The chefs were tasked with judging each other's cooking, deciding who the 3 worst teams were, with the regular judges judging who got told to pack their knives and go.

I am liking Top Chef Texas. But, I am not liking all the team challenges. When do we get to the part where the chefs are judging solely on their own cooking?

And this week's teaming was the most unfair. Double elimination. Worst team totally goes. Dakota told Nyesha she was a whiz at cooking venison. Nyesha trusted Dakota. Nyesha's part of the dish was not criticized. Both were told to pack their knives and go due to Dakota's undercooked venison.

Meanwhile, Quickfire winner Ty-Lor, teamed with Edward, cooked quail, deemed by Acheson as the best dish, to him, of the season, giving them the win. And $10,000 to split. This was a good payday for Ty-Lor.

Next week the chefs leave the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex and head to Austin. I hope it is not another team cooking challenge.

Survivor South Pacific's Brandon Hantz Gives Away His Immunity to Albert & Then Gets Kicked Out of the Tribe

2011-12-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Brandon Hantz in Pain

Wednesday night's Survivor: South Pacific episode was the last regular episode before this coming Sunday's bloated 3 hour finale.

For me this has been the most off-putting season of Survivor yet.

Methinks if Survivor wants to survive it needs to drop the returning of past survivors for redemption.

For me, the gimmick has not worked.

And no more Hantz's on Survivor.

I would think that actual practitioners of the Christian faith would find offensive the way some reality shows use pseudo-Christians as comic fodder. Maybe pseudo is the wrong word. Maybe illegit would be more appropriate.

The prayer rings led by Ben Wade and Brandon Hantz were embarrassing to witness. It appeared it was embarrassing to some of those in the ring who felt they had to pretend to participate.

Brandon's idiotic concept of his religion, where he thinks God monitors reality TV game shows, with a Godly interest in the outcome, is so incredibly self-centered. Not to mention stupid. Brandon verbalizes thinking that God has all of his life planned out for him, with Brandon, apparently, thinking that Brandon has no say in the matter.

So, apparently, Brandon believes God's plan for him is to make him look to be very naive and stupid.

And then there is that phony buffoon, Ben Wade, who insists being called "Coach."

Bending over, with his forehead to the ground, praying for God to give him a vision as to who he should kick out of the tribe.

With the Survivor editors putting visions of the possible kickees on the screen.

Coach must really have an extremely low opinion of this God he speaks to, if he thinks that this God has time for such trivial, meaningless matters.

What with all the actual real problems in the world that God created, which is obviously a horrible headache for Him to try and control with any semblance of reasonable order, what with so many outbreaks of the devil's work.

And then there is Brandon Hantz with his bizarre need for overt displays of his Holy Goodness. Brandon wins the Immunity Idol. And then to show his loyalty to his word somehow decides it makes sense to give the Immunity Necklace to Albert, to the astonishment of everyone at the Tribal Council, including us watching on our TV screens.

Brandon then gets the predictable boot, with us learning that it was Brandon who God's vision told Coach to boot, despite Coach's promises to Brandon, and Coach's extremely highly evolved concept of honor and integrity.

I can not be the only viewer who finds Coach's talk of being a warrior to be embarrassing. Telling Ozzy he wants to take Ozzy to the end where it will be an honorable battle between two warriors.

Warriors.

On a game show.

What an idiot.

I can not be the only viewer who thinks that if Ben Wade was actually confronted with a situation which required the skills of an actual warrior, and real courage, that Coach would run away screaming like a scared school girl.

At this point I really don't care who wins Survivor.

Poetic would be if God's will were done and Brandon beats Ozzy at the final Redemption Island Duel and then goes on to win the remaining Immunity Challenges, pretty much then guaranteeing Brandon the million bucks and a resulting lifelong unshakable belief that God truly has a plan for him.

Another good scenario would be Albert winning the remaining Immunity Challenges. I think he'd likely win the million.

Another good scenario would be Ozzy beating Brandon to get off Redemption Island, and then going on to be in the Final 3. Ozzy would be the winner of the million at that point, I do believe.

I don't know if I'll be watching. It is far less exhausting just to read the result the next morning.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 5 - December 11

2011-12-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 5 - December 11. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Two and a Half Men has popped way back up in the ratings, to the #2 spot. X Factor continues to be a dud, with its Wednesday performance show coming in at #20, not quite the HUGE hit Simon Cowell hoped for, instead X Factor is being widely viewed as an overly produced Train Wreck, with a really bad host. The Amazing Race came in at #14, one place ahead of Survivor: South Pacific. Even though both ran re-runs, NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles ranked #8 and #12.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average(in millions)

1.	NFL: Giants/Cowboys	NBC	24.5	20.9

2.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	15.2	19.3

3.	60 Minutes	CBS	14.7	14.3

4.	Big Bang Theory	CBS	14.0	16.7

5.	Football Nt. Pt. 3	NBC	13.3	11.7

6.	The Mentalist	CBS	13.0	14.7

7.	2 Broke Girls	CBS	12.8	13.7

8.	Mike & Molly	CBS	12.7	13.6

*	NCIS	CBS	12.7	21.7

*	Person of Interest	CBS	12.7	13.5

11.	Criminal Minds	CBS	12.4	14.5

12.	Modern Family	ABC	12.2	15.9

*	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	12.2	17.5

14.	Amazing Race	CBS	11.7	11.0

15.	Survivor: South Pacific	CBS	11.6	12.5

*	The Good Wife	CBS	11.6	11.8

17.	How I Met Your Mother	CBS	11.5	11.5

18.	CSI	CBS	11.1	13.3

19.	Hawaii Five-0	CBS	11.0	13.6

20.	X Factor (Wed.)	Fox	10.7	12.6

Jennifer Anniston is Obviously the Most Beautiful Hottest Sexiest Woman the World has Ever Known

2011-12-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

I can not tell you how pleased I was this past week when Jennifer Anniston was finally recognized as the "Hottest, Sexiest, Most Beautiful, Most Wonderful, Kindest Woman Ever To Grace Planet Earth Going Back to the Dawn of Time When God Supposedly Created Eve."

It was Men's Health Magazine that finally stepped up and said out loud what all of us were thinking, dubbing the former Mrs. Brad Pitt the "#1 Hottest Woman of All Time."

Hotter than Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Angelina Jolie, Raquel Welch, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Jean Harlow, Brigitte Bardot, Cleopatra, Jane Russell, Katharine Hepburn, Courtney Cox, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Jennifer Lopez.

And my personal favorite, Myrna Loy, back in the early Thin Man movies.

Now that Jennifer Anniston has been acknowledged as the Hottest Woman the World has Ever Known will she finally be able to snag herself a husband? And keep him? Will Ms. Anniston now get better movie roles and perhaps that long deserved Academy Award for Best Actress?

Only time will tell.