baseball

As anyone who follows sports on TV knows, Bob Costas is a baseball guy. He loves, loves, loves the National Pastime. Therefore, since NBC has not had major league baseball for years, it's been rough on Bob. He's managed to keep his love for the game alive with books and speeches and as part of his work for HBO. Well, now he's going to be doing a lot more baseball.

Bob Costas is upping his commitment to the MLB Network, and leaving HBO. When the new baseball channel launched on January 1, 2009, included in the charter line up All Time Games, the rebroadcasting of vintage baseball games with Costas as the host.

• AMC has a Breaking Bad marathon all night.
• At 6:30, TBS has the Cubs vs. the Dodgers, followed by the Red Sox vs. the Angels.
• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by the season premieres of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Knight Rider, followed by new episodes of America's Got Talent and Lipstick Jungle.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and 'Til Death (two episodes).
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
• At 9, Bravo has a new Project Runway, followed by a new Top Design.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9, then a new Destination Truth.
• At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, then a new Criss Angel Mindfreak.
• At 10, FX has a new Sons Of Anarchy.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Lewis Black's Root Of All Evil.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

(S01E12) It feels to me that a big chunk of the first season of In Plain Sight was Brandi's great adventure, and tonight's show was the big finish. In a twist that was both surprising and satisfying, the loose ends were tied up and the air was cleared for the show to return for more chapters in the Shannon family saga. And all that other stuff that Mary's been doing with the Witness Protection Program, too.

After nearly eleven hours (give or take) of Mary's frustration with her mother and sister, it all came to a head. Directed by John Badham (Saturday Night Fever), this was an episode heavy on the drama, and he did a great job balancing the FBI investigation, Marshall and Stan's efforts to save Mary's career, and the family dynamics. From the first scene between the Shannons, there was no question that this was not going to be a warm and fuzzy examination of their feelings. Mary dropped the hammer when she told Jinx and Brandi how much trouble they were in.

Somebody needs to give 30 Rock's Alec Baldwin a shoulder to cry on. Seriously. In this recent interview the Emmy nominee not only mourned his lost youth -- he's just turned 50 (in April) and realizes that he'll never play professional baseball or dance in the ballet (really, Al, you think that was ever likely?) -- but he talked about quitting acting entirely. Hard to believe it, but here are his words:

"There's other things to do. ...So I'm trying to decide what to do when I quit this business. ...Yeah, I do have to find another career. I don't want to do this. I don't."

It's hard to figure out exactly what's behind Baldwin's words, unless we take it on face value and believe that he just doesn't want to act anymore.

(S01E08) In what might have been one of the stranger episodes, there was a point in the voiceover where Mary comments her clients, Ruth and Don. They're devout Catholics, but they hate each other and want to split. They don't because they cannot get an annulment. When Mary urges them to just get a divorce, saying that as a Catholic she understand them, they say they'll continue to suffer because it's God's will. That's when Mary's VO is, "Okay, too weird for me."

That's how I felt about this show. While it was an interesting examination of a couple facing a dilemma while at the same time being in Witness Protection, there were elements that made me cringe.

America's preeminent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, the guy that made the Civil War must-see viewing, is hard at work on a new project. PBS will broadcast Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea in Fall 2009. In 12-hours, divided over six episodes, Burns will explore the places like Yellowstone, the Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, Mount Rushmore, et al, as well as the people who were instrumental in the creation of these landmarks.

Like who? Start with Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir. In the Ken Burns style, you can be sure to learn things about the parks that you never knew, stuff that were not in the tour books from the AAA.

ESPN Films is co-producing a film for theatrical release about legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey. The film will center around their struggle to break down racial barriers in the late 40s. The project, which is yet untitled, will be produced by Robert Redford, Tracy Falco, Karen Baldwin and Andrew Cohen. Redford will star in the role of Rickey. No word on who will play Robinson.

ESPN Senior VP, Ron Semiao, says "ESPN Films is honored to be collaborating with such accomplished storytellers and filmmakers for such an important sports and American story." Semiao was at the Beverly Hilton yesterday along with Branch Rickey III to discuss the project. Semiao added that doing this theatrical film was a natural extension for the company which tries to serve sports fans "however they consume sports content."

Yes, we've got yet another giveaway today. This one borders on the TV/sports line that we usually don't cross, but I think the readers won't mind. This giveaway is for three copies of The Boston Red Sox: 2007 World Series Collector's Edition DVD, which is available on November 13. In fact, order before November 19 here and get 30% off plus $1 shipping.

All you've got to do is submit a comment below before 5PM Eastern, November 16, and mention your favorite professional baseball player of all time. We'll randomly choose three winners to receive the DVDs!

Some other details:

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below stating your favorite professional baseball player of all time.
• The comment must be left before November 16, 2007 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
  
• You may enter only once.
• Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  
• Three winners will receive a copy of The Boston Red Sox: 2007 World Series Collector's Edition DVD (valued at $79.95).
  

Click here for complete Official Rules.

• At 8, CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer, then new episodes of Moonlight and Numb3rs.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8, followed by the season premiere of Friday Night Lights and a new Las Vegas.
• There's a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader on FOX at 8.
• PBS has a new NOW at 8, then new episodes of Washington Week, Bill Moyers Journal, and Expose.
• The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• At 8:30, TBS has the Red Sox/Angels game.
• At 9, Lifetime has the new TV movie How I Married My High School Crush.
• Sci-Fi has a new Flash Gordon at 9, then a new Stargate Atlantis.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• E! has a new ep of The Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

It's been a bit over a week since we started the TV Squad cancellation trifecta game, and a near-miss today calls for an update.

As reported in today's Cynopsis, Nashville has been taken out of its Friday night slot for the next two weeks, making room for repeats of K-Ville. However, this is not a cancellation -- yet! Word is that this is due to the baseball season, with the show returning when baseball concludes.

So, what happens if Nashville actually never returns? Well, according to a quick look at the entries to the contest, there are about 200 of you who've chosen this show as the first to go, and you'll all be in the drawing for the first part of the prize. Cross your fingers!

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

1. The Singing Bee (NBC)
2. All-Star Game (FOX)
3. America's Got Talent (NBC)
4. NCIS (CBS)
5. So You Think You Can Dance - Thurs (FOX)
6. CSI (CBS)
7. CSI: NY (CBS)
8. Law and Order: SVU (NBC)
9. All-Star Pre-Game Show (FOX)
10. Two and a Half Men (CBS)
11. Don't Forget The Lyrics - Thurs (FOX)
12. Shark (CBS)
13. CSI: Miami (CBS)
14. Don't Forget The Lyrics - Weds (FOX)
15. 60 Minutes (CBS)
16. So You Think You Can Dance - Weds (FOX)
17. America's Got Talent - Special (NBC)
18. Cold Case (CBS)
19. Hell's Kitchen (FOX)
20. Criminal Minds (CBS)

• At 8, FOX has the baseball All-Star Game.
• NBC has a new, two-hour America's Got Talent at 8, then the premiere of The Singing Bee.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, followed by a new Wide Angle.
• The 2007 World Series Of Poker starts on ESPN at 8 with two episodes.
• At 9, History Channel has a new episode of The Universe.
• Eureka returns to Sci-Fi at 9.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9, then a new Build It Bigger.
• BBC America has a new MI-5 at 9.
• At 10, CBS has a new Pirate Master.
• A&E has a new Criss Angel: Mindfreak at 10.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.
• At 10:30, BBC America has a new Hollyoaks.

Check your local TV listings for more.

If you haven't yet tried Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream ice cream from Ben and Jerry's, you should. It is the most "just okay" ice cream you'll ever taste. Your tastebuds will be bombarded with a cavalcade of average, middle-of-the-road flavor.

Okay, so AmeriCone Dream never did much for me. I'm more of a Phish Food man, what can you do? However, on July 7, Colbert will be doing something Phish has never done: he'll throw the first pitch at a RiverDogs baseball game in Charleston, South Carolina (his hometown). He won't be throwing a ball, however, he'll be throwing a pint of AmeriCone Dream. I'd like to see the entire game played with a pint of ice cream, but that probably won't happen. Jerry Greenfield, the "Jerry" in "Ben and Jerry's" will catch the pint. Let's hope he does, because I'm pretty sure getting conked in the head by a pint of frozen ice cream is kind of painful, especially if one of those waffle cone shards get wedged in your eye.

In addition to tossing his ice cream, Colbert will also sit in on the radio broadcast during the game.

[via CC Insider]

I think I'm the last Squadder to put out one of these lists, and there's a good reason for that. After the crush of the season finales and upfronts in May, I was happy to not be a regular watcher of anything in particular, except for Yankee games, so there seemed to be nothing for me to write about.

But when I really thought about it, that's not even close to being true. Despite the fact that it's summer, there's more than enough quality programming that I'm sure I'll get sucked into some weekly habits at some point. So, after the jump, here's what I plan on watching:

There are many swears that have started to make their way on to television, and I don't mean just HBO and Showtime. I've heard "shit" and "asshole" sprinkled here and there.

But there's still one word that's a no-no, and that's the famous four letter word that begins with the letter "F." It's banned on network television, and I think even on cable you can only get away with it so many times during one show. In the movies there are limits to the number of times it is used and the context (exclamation or verb?).

After the jump are the top ten videos of the word being used on live television. This Digg post lists the Richard Simmons clip as number one, but that's not accurate because they're outtakes, not live segments. Still funny though!