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May 29, 2012

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America's Next Top Model spoof

by Adam Finley, posted Mar 6th 2006 2:04PM
top model spoofProduct Invasion, the Web site created by members of the Writers Guild of America (West) that pokes fun at the surfeit of product placement in reality programming has yet another video up on their site, this time taking more than a few potshots at America's Next Top Model and its use of product placement. But then, these are "models" aren't they? Isn't their job to serve as spokespeople for corporate products? I'm just saying. Anyway, check out the video here. I know the phrase "I can poop it out, Tyra" is going to be in my head the rest of the day.

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Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates The Gout

by Adam Finley, posted Mar 3rd 2006 9:11AM

everybody hates chrisI'm hoping that UPN (soon to be the CW) has some kind of mysterious plan for Everybody Hates Chris that only it understands, because I've been genuinely confused by how the last few episodes of this season have been doled out. The show has been in reruns, but once in awhile, like last night, they'll toss a new one out there. On the surface, it appears as if UPN has abandoned a show they once touted quite enthusiastically by sneaking new episodes past fans. I'm hoping that isn't the case, that perhaps the show is just ending its first season with a fade out in preparation for a big second season.

Last night's episode focused on two storylines, Chris' father getting the gout from eating heavily-salted food, including, according to one sequence, "chicken-fried bananas" and Chris himself getting an F in math and trying to fool his parents into thinking he got an A. Math is the only class in which Chris can't get a passing grade, as his all-white school seems to give him a free pass as long as all his reports have to do with Martin Luther King, Jr. Taking advantage of the ignorance of white people is a reoccurring theme on the show. Everybody Hates Chris doesn't just focus on blatant racism, it also points the finger at those who work feverishly to seem "black friendly" but ironically ignore the individual. When Chris is at home, or hanging out with his friend Greg at school, he's just a regular kid. It's when his teachers single him out in class to talk about black history, or the basketball coach asks him to join the team without seeing him play, that he becomes a "black kid." Chris Rock has said before that races have much more in common with one another than people realize, and that when its all laid out, the differences are few and inconsequential. That seems to be the guiding ethos of Everybody Hates Chris, and it's what makes the show both hysterical and thought-provoking.

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FOX rescuing its UPN stations

by Anna Johns, posted Feb 23rd 2006 8:31AM
my network tvWhen The CW launches in the fall, there will be a bunch of UPN affiliates out there that lose all their programming. At least ten of those affiliates are owned by FOX, which announced that it will launch its own mini-network on those stations and call it My Network TV. To begin with, FOX will provide two original dramas, called Desire and Secrets,  that will air six nights a week for 13 weeks (like the telenovelas on Univision). The new network launches in major U.S. cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas, on September 5th. The mini-network is going to be run by Roger Ailes, the man responsible for Fox News Channel.

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Aquaman recast

by Adam Finley, posted Feb 22nd 2006 11:39AM

aquamanAquaman, as Anna reported, is still moving forward despite the merger of UPN and the WB into the new CW.  However, there has been a change in casting, and Will Toale will no longer be playing the moist super hero who likes to converse with all the little fishies. Instead, the role is being given to Justin Hartley. Apparently the producers have a thing for actors who were in soap operas. Toale was on Guiding Light and Hartley was seen most recently on Passions. The decision to recast was the result of the merger between the two networks, and Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS (which owns UPN) made the recommendation to give the role to Hartley.

Thanks to Toby for the tip.

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Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates Valentine's Day

by Adam Finley, posted Feb 9th 2006 8:59PM

everybody hates chrisThe latest episode of Everybody Hates Chris, which centered around Valentine's Day, had several laugh out loud moments and more than made up for last week's episode, which, while still good, could have been better.

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Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates Picture Day

by Adam Finley, posted Feb 3rd 2006 9:29AM
everybody hates chrisIf you grew up poor and black in the big city, there's certainly aspects of Everybody Hates Chris you could empathize with. Like Chris Rock's comedy, however, it's real power comes from talking about things we all had to go through growing up, at least those of us who were more of the nerdy persuasion.

First off, Chris got way more excited about picture day at school than I ever did. I don't like having my picture taken, and I hated it even more when it was a school picture. Chris, however, wants nothing more than to look good, and wearing the sweater with the fire engine on the front his mom bought for him isn't going to cut it.

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Veronica Mars: Donut Run

by Chris Thilk, posted Jan 25th 2006 11:14PM
After sharing an uncomfortable elevator ride with Logan, Veronica makes her way to Duncan's apartment in an attempt to console him after Meg's death. She's surprised - to say the least - to find Duncan not there and Kendell coming out of his shower. When she catches up with him and confronts him about why he seemed to be ducking her, they exchange a few pleasantries and then he proceeds to break up with her.

When Wallace comes over to try and cheer her up about the break-up, the police arrive. It seems Duncan has disappeared along with the baby girl, and she is suspected as an accomplice. It comes out shortly that Veronica sold some earrings belonging to Celeste Kane for tens of thousands of dollars, and the cops think that money was to finance this kidnapping and getaway. Of course, Veronica has no idea what they're talking about, but Sheriff Lamb doesn't believe her. She's released, though, after spilling everything she might know about what Duncan could use to disappear.

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What's a better name than "The CW"?

by Joel Keller, posted Jan 24th 2006 5:10PM
The introduction of the CW networkWell, I guess we've all heard the big news today by now, right? The WB network and the UPN network are going to merge to become "The CW network", or "The CW" for short. Sounds like a decent idea to me: two half-networks that are limping along combine to create a more powerful network, capable of defeating the forces of evil while shooting lasers out of its hands (wait, I might be getting this new network confused with Voltron).

There's only one problem: the name. "The CW". I realize that the name is a combination of "CBS" and "Warner", and that naming it "The WC" is problematic; besides the fact that the name is a classy way to say "toilet", it's too close to "the WB" for comfort's sake.  But this name... it just doesn't work for me. It sounds like it's one letter short of being called "The Cow", or, as one commenter suggested, "The Country Western Network".

So can anyone think of a better name? Let me know in the comments.

[Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP]

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Goodbye WB, UPN - BREAKING NEWS

by Bob Sassone, posted Jan 24th 2006 12:33PM

File this one under "Surprising News of the Day."

As of September, both the WB and UPN networks will cease to exist! That's because the CBS is joining forces with the WB to create a new 5th network, CW. It will feature "the best programming from CBS corporation and Warner Brothers," as the press release says. Each company will have a 50% interest in the company, and have a ten year agreement with Tribune/CBS stations around the country.

But seriously, the CW Network? That sounds like the Country and Western Channel. They really have to come up with a different name.

(Thanks Patrick, Rick and Izzy!)

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Will there be a second season of Everybody Hates Chris?

by Adam Finley, posted Jan 23rd 2006 3:29PM
everybody hates chrisI lamented in an earlier post that some of the latter episodes of the first season of Everybody Hates Chris were being sandwiched between reruns of the show, making it difficult to keep track of when new shows were airing. If you're also wondering whether there will be a second season of the popular UPN sitcom, then you can keep wondering because no announcement has been made just yet. It's probably not all bad, though, since UPN hasn't announced new seasons of any of it's new shows, stating that May is still too far off. The show's premiere broke records for the network, but eventually ratings levelled out. It would seem foolish to drop the show, and I can't imagine UPN would. Of course, I stopped trying to understand the minds of TV execs a long time ago.

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Everybody Hates Chris (I missed it)

by Adam Finley, posted Jan 23rd 2006 11:36AM
Apparently one must be on his toes to catch new episodes of Everybody Hates Chris. The show started going into reruns in November, but they did manage to sneak a new Christmas episode in. However, after that it looked as if it was back to repeats again. I kept an eye on the TV schedule, and sure enough, it was repeat after repeat. That is, until last week when a new episode aired and I totally missed it. TV.com has a summary of the episode, which, by the way, is not even mentioned on UPN's site for the show. This week the episode is a repeat yet again, but the week after that, February 2 to be exact, there will be yet another new episode. I'm all over that one, I promise.

 

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Alicia Keys bringing story to UPN

by Adam Finley, posted Jan 12th 2006 12:01PM
UPN has decided to stick with the "celebrity coming of age" approach for a new drama based on the childhood of recording artist Alicia Keys. Heck, it worked for Chris Rock.The series will be based on Keys', who had a white mother and a black father and was raised by her mother in Hell's Kitchen after her parents divorced when she was two. She started playing piano at six and eventually grew up to be a popular singer and pianist, selling over fifty billion copies of her first album in just under eight minutes. The show will be written by Felicia Henderson, who wrote for Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Keys will executive produce.

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Everybody Hates Chris Xmas episode causing small backlash

by Joel Keller, posted Dec 23rd 2005 6:19PM
Everybody Hates ChrisApparently, Everybody Hates Chris has a bigger family audience than either Chris Rock or UPN imagined. The network had to field a "handful" of complaints after the show's Christmas episode, in which Chris' little sister Tonya is shown by brother Drew that Santa Claus doesn't exist. The complaints were from parents who had to explain the episode to their kids, who were also watching. Remember, this is a show that has been gently exploring race issues the entire season; the "n-word" was even said a few times in the first few episodes. But what gets all the attention? The episode that says there is no Santa Claus. Even the show's co-creator couldn't escape criticism; Ali LeRoi's 6-year-old son was also upset at the holiday exposé.

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Nowhere Man coming to DVD December 27

by Bob Sassone, posted Sep 2nd 2005 7:09PM

Nowhere ManThis show sorta fizzled out toward the end, but for a while there it was a very intriguing little show. And now UPN's Nowhere Man - the whole series in a box set - will come out on DVD December 27. I'll be first in line.

Previous reports said that the set would not include the final episode of the series, which ended on a cliffhanger (in case the show was renewed), but the official site lists that episode as being i the set, so that's a good thing (seriously, that would have just infuriated fans). If you've never seen the show, this would be a great chance to catch it.

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Ah, so there's still hope for me with Jenny McCarthy

by Bob Sassone, posted Aug 19th 2005 7:49PM

Jenny McCarthyThat's because she and her husband, director John Asher, filed for divorce in Los Angeles.

This article says that McCarthy "currently stars in UPN's The Bad Girl's Guide." Wow, is that actually still on the air?

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