cakeboss

As much as I loved The Real Housewives of New Jersey, I knew that I was loving it for all the wrong reasons. I'm New Jersey all the way: born here, went to college here, have lived here all my life. About ten percent of the people I've met fit the yelling, lunkheaded Jersey stereotypes we've seen on TV since The Sopranos; what I don't understand is where reality TV's recent fascination has been with the louder residents of the Garden State.

First it was Housewives. Then it was Cake Boss, where Buddy Valastro and his crew scream and gesture so much it's a wonder how their cakes don't collapse in the oven. Even TLC's relatively gentle Masters of Reception seemed to highlight the more "Jersey" aspects of my home state.

Now we have Jersey Shore, an MTV reality series premiering December 3. It documents goings on last summer in a shore house with the "hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos," according to this particularly annoying promo:

Today I made an executive decision and gave the podcast an oh-so-creative name: "The TV Squad Podcast." This was after we recorded it on Tuesday, so I still refer to it by its old APB name. If you have any suggestions, let me know at tvsquad [at] gmail [dot] com.

In this episode, Late Show writer Bill Scheft joins me, Danny Gallagher and Kona Gallagher to talk about his new book Everything Hurts. Of course, there's lots of good behind-the-scenes info about what it was like to work at The Late Show, especially on how the events of the past month affected the staff and the show's writing, including the monologue.

He also tells some funny stories about being canned from Sports Illustrated (and spawns a new catchphrase), feeding lines to the guy who played Mike Singletary and more. It's 45 minutes of fun.

After the interview, Kona, Danny and I give our picks of the week. Run time is 1:03:02.

You can listen to the podcast below; or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

This week on TV: Cakes from Jersey, Derek Jeter's on the 'Loser' team and 'Friday Night Lights' is finally back.

MONDAY, OCT. 26
'Cake Boss' (10PM, TLC) season 2 premiere
Jersey City baker Buddy Valastro was such a hit with viewers last summer that TLC brought him back right away for more wedding cake-bakin' fun -- tonight, in back-to-back new episodes. First up, when Buddy finds out that one of his customers wants to propose to his girlfriend in the bakery, Buddy bakes a cake shaped like a ring box. And in the second ep, the pastry maestro whips up a frosted gem for Dylan's Candy Bar in New York.

'So You Think You Can Dance' – The top 20 dancers are revealed (8PM, Fox)
'Gossip Girl' – Chuck asks for Serena's PR, um, expertise for his club opening (9PM, The CW)
'Real Chance of Love' – The guys pick their ladies from among the final five (9PM, VH1) season 2 finale
'Unwrapped' – In honor of trick-or-treating, this 'Unwrapped' is all about candies (9PM, Food Network)
'Castle' – A creepy murder leads Castle and Beckett to vampire fetishists (10PM, ABC)

Yes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but this a bit much. TLC has given the greenlight to BBQ Pit Masters, a new food show about American barbecue competitions. Does Bobby Flay, Mr. Food Network grill master himself, know about this? I can see him getting as red as his hair when he reads about it.

So, TLC is saying that this new show, a documentary about the über-competitive world of competitive grilling, will run for eight hour-long episodes commencing December 2. How this will be different from similar food competitions on other networks -- like Food Network -- remains to be seen.

This week on TV: Shaq throws down, chefs book a trip to Vegas and the return of 'Runway.'

MONDAY, AUG. 17

'Cake Boss' (10PM, TLC) 1st season finale
All good things must come to an end, so even though Hoboken baker Buddy Valasco and his cake-bakin' buddies have been a great addition to the primetime line-up this summer, the first season comes to an end tonight. It does go out with a bang – literally – as Buddy goes to his son's school for "Bring Your Dad to School Day" and then concocts a fireworks-themed cake.

'Woodstock: Now & Then' – Celebrating 40th anniversary (8PM, History Channel)
'Glenn Martin DDS' – Dentist Glenn takes his fam on a permanent vacay (8PM, Nick) series premiere
'Dance Your Ass Off' – There's a major twist during eliminations (10PM, Oxygen)
'Weeds' – Esteban's daughter arrives (10PM, Showtime)
'Nurse Jackie' – Victor Garber guest stars (10:30PM, Showtime)

This week on TV: A leaning tower of fondant on 'Cake Boss,' Criss Angel gets buried alive and the 'Mad Men' are back. -- By Kim Potts

MONDAY, AUG. 10

'Cake Boss' (10PM, TLC)
We still love Duff and the 'Ace of Cakes' gang, but New Jersey baker Buddy Valastro is one of the best new surprises of the summer, and watching him in action as the titular head cake maker at Hoboken's Carlos Bakery has been the year's least-guilty pleasure. On the menu in tonight's episode: The Leaning Tower of Pisa, replicated in cake, and a lobster-themed cake that Buddy scrambles to assemble after the client mixes up the date.

After the big Jon & Kate premiere last night ("Look, honey! They're not sitting on the couch together! They must be getting a divorce!"), TLC premiered their new series, Cake Boss. It features Buddy Valastro, owner and head pastry chef at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ, and shows how he runs the bakery along with his very Jersey family. Think about a cross between Ace of Cakes and The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and you'll get an idea of what's going on here: lots of hand gesturing and swearing being thrown around with the fondant and buttercream.

At least that's what the preview episode the network aired about a month ago showed. It was loud and obnoxious and looked like a lot of fun. Last night's premiere, though, concentrated more on the funky cake-making aspect of the job than the interpersonal relations between Buddy and his crew. What a snooze.