Yes, Ken Ober was host of MTV’s Remote Control.

From 1987 to 1991 (with syndication beginning in 1989), Ken hosted Remote Control from his “basement,” offering contestants a buffet of pop culture questions — everything from classic and current television and music videos, to solving math problems while a guy, dressed as a bishop, ran around the studio. It wasn’t done in the wryly dry style of many of the game show hosts of the day. Instead, it was done with humor and plenty of good-natured fun. It was appointment television for the MTV crowd, which was comprised of a good many tweens and teens during that era.

The show itself was a combination of classic game show and sketch comedy. Lounging in seat-belted La-Z-Boys, three contestants would answer a series of questions posed by Ober. Sometimes the game play would be stopped, or enhanced, by a variety of characters that would grace Ken’s “basement” studio. For instance, a fairy pixie named Sheldon would read nursery rhymes of television shows for the contestants to guess. In another category (or, as they were called on the series, channels) contestants were asked to finish a line of a song that was ripped out of Colin Quinn’s throat. In yet another category, Ken’s nerdy cousin Flip would laugh the theme songs to various TV shows.

Much of what made Remote Control great was unique for game shows at that time. Aside from the La-Z-Boys, which were seat-belted for when a contestant fell down a chute or behind a wall when eliminated, there were the snack breaks between rounds that caused a deluge of chips or other salty snacks to pour down on their heads. Then there was the famous final round. For the first four seasons of Remote Control it was naming the artists of nine music videos — it was MTV, after all — while strapped to a Craftmatic Adjustable bed. In the fifth season, the contestant was strapped to a metal wheel and had to name music videos while the wheel spun around.

It was also the talent behind the show that made it work so well. In addition to Ober and sidekick Colin Quinn, there was Kari Wuhrer, hostess on the show for the second and third seasons; Adam Sandler, who played the characters Stud Boy and Colin’s cousin Stickpin Quinn; and Dennis Leary, who portrayed Andy Warhol and a drunken Keith Richards (is there any other form of Keith Richards?). There was also John Ten Eyck, who portrayed a number of recurring characters, and keyboardist extraordinaire Steve Treccase, who provided all the musical accompaniment.

Sadly, we will never see a show like Remote Control again. It was one of those rare shows that hit the right nerve at the right time. Now, with so much needless pop culture coming from your computer screen, a game show like Remote Control would be nothing but a blip on the landscape. Especially if it appeared on MTV. Rest in peace, Kenny.

Related posts

• Undeclared – CliqueClack Flashback
• The Week in Clack – RIP Ted Kennedy
• You bet MTV aired Michael Jackson videos

Example:
11/18/08: House (13.03m/5.5), Fringe (9.36m/4.2)
11/09/09: House (13.31m/5.3), Lie To Me (7.41m/3)

And that was against very similar competition. Both faced DWTS on ABC, which was pretty much a wash. NBC was greatly improved against Fringe with Biggest Loser (7.84m/3.3), as opposed to Trauma (5.35m/1.8). And CBS was mixed, with The Mentalist (15.83m/3.5) trailing the Men/Big Bang hour (13.62m/4.6) in the demo.

Now we look at where we are this season. Fringe did manage something of a rebound this week, finishing with (5.91m/2.2) on Thursday. That’s still a distant fourth place, and should find the show on the hot seat at the end of the season. It would, obviously, do better on Monday following House. The question is, would it do better than the (7.41m/3) that Lie To Me is currently offering? I think it would.

On the other side of that coin, while I’m not quite as confident about the move of Lie To Me to Thursday, I do still see the potential for it to outperform the current Fringe numbers. That bar has been set, after all, rather low. It would likely take a  hit in the move, but the end result would be that Thursday at 9:00 is stronger as well. Just something to think about. The usual numbers junk is after the jump.

ABC - The bubble burst on V (10.7m/3.8) rather quickly. Sure, that’s still a very nice number, but it’s also a heck of a one week drop. Consider the jury still out on this one until we see what episodes three and four bring to the table. Earlier in the week, the return of football on NBC brought Sunday’s Extreme Makeover (10.38m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.79m/4.4), and Brothers & Sisters (9.08m/2.9) down a tad. It was still a successful start to the week.

The good news continued as Dancing With The Stars (17.62m/3.4) and Castle (9.82m/2.4) both gained viewers. The DWTS Results (16.23m/3.5) were up as well, despite the V drop. The news wasn’t so good for The Forgotten, as In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts (9.34m/2.3) finished well above what the show has been doing. Wednesday, the CMA Awards (17.18m/5.3) were a huge improvement over the usual comedies and Eastwick. FlashForward (8.28m/2.6) sunk to third in both measures to kick off Thursday, while Grey’s Anatomy (14.87m/5.6) and Private Practice (10.25m/3.9) were both up. Ugly Betty (4.45m/1.3) finished things off on Friday.

FOX - The network didn’t really gain anything with the all-Seth night, featuring Family Guy (7.26m/3.7), Seth & Alex (6.73m/3.4), Family Guy (7.99m/4.1), and Cleveland (6.44m/3.2). The news was better on Monday as House (13.31m/5.3) remained the clear demo leader on the night. So You Think You Can Dance remained steady, if not impressive, on Tuesday (5.76m/2.3) and Wednesday (5.72m/2.2), while Glee (7.53m/3.4) was tied for #1 in the demo with Criminal Minds. Thursday, Bones (10.22m/2.9) took over the #2 spot from FlashForward. And Friday, repeats again topped the recent comedy/Dollhouse combo.

CBS - The good news is that Sunday was up across the board with Amazing Race (11.62m/3.5), Three Rivers (7.99m/1.8), and Cold Case (8.16m/1.7). The bad news is that those numbers from 9:00 to 11:00 are too low. Things were better on Monday. The network was down slightly from 8:00 to 9:00 with How I Met Your Mother (8.67m/3.5) and Accidentally On Purpose (7.89m/2.9). Then, up with 2 ½ Men (14.44m/4.6) and Big Bang Theory (12.8m/4.7). At 10:00 is where the real magic started.

The big crossover CSI event led to gains for Miami (14.38m/4), NY (14.51m/3.8), and the OG CSI (17.38m/4.1). He didn’t get to be part of the big event, but Gibbs and the crew at NCIS (20.96m/4.4) easily returned to the top of the Tuesday pyramid. That was good news for NCIS: LA (16.23m/3.7) and The Good Wife (13.35m/2.8) as well. Old Christine (7.19m/2.1) and Gary Unmarried (7.3m/2.4) were both up on Wednesday, despite that CMA increase at ABC. Criminal Minds (12.77m/3.4) was solid. Although, that demo battle with Glee could prove very interesting.

Thursday, as with CSI, Survivor (12.94m/4) was up too. The Mentalist (16.17m/3.6) was off a bit in viewers, but is still having a very good second season. And Friday was another easy win for the night by Ghost Whisperer (8.01m/2), Medium (8.16m/1.9), and Numb3rs (8.16m/1.8).

NBC – The return of Sunday Night Football (21.88m/8.5) was certainly welcome. Hopefully, it softened the blow of another series low for Heroes (5.26m/2.3), and the further struggles of Trauma (5.35m/1.8). The Biggest Loser (9.65m/3.8) remains a success on Tuesday. Mercy (6.68m/1.7), on the other hand, can only claim that it is an improvement over the Knight Rider numbers. L&O: SVU (8.77m/2.8) remains a mystery. That was good for fourth place, again, but it is headed in the right direction. And that 2.8 demo is starting to look really good given the rest of the NBC schedule.

Thursday was more of the same as Community (5.09m/2.1) and Parks & Recreation (4.58m/2.1) again fell short of the Kath & Kim bar (11/06: 5.57m/2.4). By comparison, things look pretty good for The Office (8.05m/4.2) and 30 Rock (6m/3). Law & Order (7.5m/1.7) finished things up on Friday.

CW - The week got off to a very good start as One Tree Hill (2.67m/1.3), Gossip Girl (2.37m/1.3), and 90210 (2.06m/1.2) all saw gains. That was the highest rated Gossip Girl since the season premiere. Things didn’t go so well for Melrose Place (1.28m/.7). It would seem that the network is just waiting to see what difference Heather Locklear makes before pulling the plug.

Next Top Model (3.2m/1.5) was again nipping at NBC’s  heels  in the demo on Wednesday. As was Vampire Diaries (4.1m/1.9) on Thursday. Supernatural (2.69m/1.3) was on par as well. Finally, Smallville (2.7m/1.2) continued to defy the odds on Friday, drawing more viewers than OTH, GG, 90210, Melrose, and Supernatural.

Cable - It’s probably way too early for the folks down at Stargate HQ to be getting nervous, but concern might be in order. Friday 11/06 found the Universe dropping again, to (1.63m/.7). That didn’t do any favors for Sanctuary (1.42m/.5). It will be very interesting to see where the show levels out. Over at USA, White Collar (3.85m/.9) continues to search for a level as well. Other cable numbers to consider:

• Mad Men (2.32m/.8)
• Dexter (1.76m/.9)
• Lincoln Heights (1.03m/.4)
• Sons Of Anarchy (3.83m/1.9)
• Nip/Tuck (1.75m/.9)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (.98m/.3)
• Bored To Death (.63m/.3)
• Californication (.76m/.4)
• Rita Rocks (.48m/.2)
• South Park (2.78m/1.5)
• Secret Girlfriend (1.19m/.6)
• It’s Always Sunny (1.87m/1.2)
• The League (1.03m/.6)
• Monday Night Football (16m/6.5)
• The Hills (2.1m/1.3)
• Top Chef (3.02m/1.7)
• Mythbusters (2.13m/.9)
• Ghost Hunters (2.91m/1.4)
• Ghost Hunters Academy (2.07m/.9)
• Project Runway (3.13m/1.4)
• Keeping Up With The Kardashians (3.17m/1.7)

Related posts

• Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc
• Ratings Clack – V gets off to a great start
• Ratings Clack – Where is FlashForward headed?

Today we’re going to offer you, the tried-and-true CliqueClack reader, a two-for-one special. Not only will we be reviewing the latest set of webisodes from The Office, but we’ll also be giving away a sweet package, courtesy of NBC Universal Comcast (sorry, got ahead of myself there).

For the latest round of Office webisodes, the creators have taken a page from the continuing surge in everything musical, and whipped up a small story — a behind-the-scenes look, shall we say — about a music video produced at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of Dunder Mifflin. Not a video by one of the hottest bands of today, like Bon Jovi or Ace of Base. Rather, this video was directed, written, and produced by two members of the D.M. staff.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Kelly Kapoor and Erin Hannon; otherwise known as the duet Subtle Sexuality.

In addition to Kelly and Erin — known in real life as Mindy Kaling and Ellie Kemper — the web series features Ryan Howard and Andy Bernard (Misters B.J. Novak and Ed Helms), with cameo appearances by Oscar and Kevin. All of the action takes place inside and outside of the Dunder Mifflin office, as Kelly and Erin attempt to produce a music video for their song “Male Prima Donna.” Along the way they encounter their own M.P.D in the form of Ryan, then conduct a talent search when Ryan goes all diva (or is that divo?) on them.

The highlight of the series is the third episode, which is Subtle Sexuality’s video. Using all of the facets of the D.M. office complex, the video features Mindy and Ellie in leopard-print jumpsuits, as pirates, and as a bride and a priest. Ryan and Andy both appear on the video as well, with Ryan donning the white-suited persona of Mr. Understood and Andy portraying Nard Dog. We already knew Ed Helms had a good singing voice from some of the songs he performed on The Office, but both Mindy and Ellie can also hold a tune.

In addition to the video, which can be seen on the official Office website, there’s a Subtle Sexuality website that you can peruse at your leisure. The website features the duo’s hit video, as well as features like their world tour schedule (with stops in Scranton, Dunmore, Scranton, and Scranton), photos, free items like wallpaper and AIM icons, and, being NBC, things to buy. Which brings us to our giveaway.

NBC has been nice enough to provide us with an exclusive “Subtle Sexuality World Tour” t-shirt and CD of the soon-to-be blockbuster “Male Prima Donna.” All you need to do is tell us what your favorite Kelly, Ryan, or Andy moments are. Submit your entries to this giveaway by Friday, November 20th, at 5 PM ET. JoJo the Prize Monkey (stolen from a CHR station from the 1980s) will pick a comment completely at random to receive the package, and alert the commenter after the giveaway ends. Remember, only one entry per person, and you must have a valid U.S.-based mailing address. Not following these guidelines voids your entry. Good luck, and enjoy Subtle Sexuality’s first video.

Related posts

• There’s still time to sign up for the Subtle Sexuality giveaway
• The Office – Business Trip
• The Office – The great debates: hot or not & heart or brain

Another slow week for the current big network shows, but there are a number of interesting packages hitting the store shelves this week. First up — complete with some very cool packaging — is the complete collector’s set from G.I. Joe. You’ll also see complete series sets from Dawson’s Creek, Justice League, and Show Me Yours. My pick of the week is a series of sets from late-70s British drama The Sandbaggers. The Cold War shenanigans of MI6 are always a good place to start. The rest of the list is after the jump.

• The Sandbaggers: At All Costs – First Principles – Operation Kingmaker – A Question of Loyalty – Who Needs Enemies
• Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series
• Nash Bridges: The 3rd Season
• JAG: The 9th Season
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold Volume 2
• The Untouchables: Season 3, Volume 2
• Justice League: The Complete Series
• G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Complete Collector’s Set
• Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square
• The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete 2nd Season
• Heartland: Season 1, Part 2
• Touched by an Angel: Inspiration Collection – Holiday – Hope
• Show Me Yours: The Complete Series
• Discovery Atlas: The Complete Collection (Blu-ray)
• Keeping Up with the Kardashians: The Complete 2nd Season

Related posts

• Ratings Clack – Should FOX switch Fringe and Lie To Me?
• TV on DVD for August 25th
• CliqueClack Preview – Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami

The World Series was the big ratings winner last week, but with New York involved, everyone kind of expected that, right? What nobody expected — most notably ABC — was the success of the V premiere. The numbers weren’t just good. It was the highest rated scripted program on the network, topping the Housewives and Grey’s. Even better, the V demo rating was the highest for a scripted show on any of the networks.  Someone at ABC has to be kicking themselves for only ordering four episodes of V, while they continue to crank out more Hanks than they know what to do with.

ABC – It was the big show for the week, so we’ll start with the V (14.3m/5.2) premiere on Tuesday. Even more impressive, it did that against Biggest Loser and NCIS. Not an easy timeslot. That was obviously unexpected, or production wouldn’t have been cut to 4, for now. It makes the results of episode two very interesting. How much of that audience will be back for more? That huge leap in the 8 o’clock hour didn’t do anything for the rest of the night. The Dancing With The Stars results show (15.05m/3.1) was up just a tenth in the demo, and The Forgotten (7.27m/1.9) actually managed to lose a million viewers week-to-week.

Earlier in the week, things were pretty standard on Sunday with Extreme Makeover (10.75m/3.3), Desperate Housewives (14.08m/5), and Brothers & Sisters (9.02m/3.3). Monday, Dancing With The Stars (16.69m/3.4) and Castle (9.43m/2.4) were both off just a bit, but we’ll chalk that up to baseball. Wednesday remains a mixed bag as Hank (5.09m/1.3), The Middle (6.04m/1.8), and Eastwick (4.44m/1.5) all continue to struggle. Modern Family (8.77m/3.5) and Cougar Town (6.87m/2.8) do like solid performers, however.

FlashForward (8.57m/2.6) makes Thursday interesting. It continues to drop, and you have to wonder if the audience is just giving up on it already. It long ago lost track of Survivor, and this week was also topped by Bones. Grey’s Anatomy (13.95m/5.1) and Private Practice (9.11m/3.4) remain a successful pairing. Friday, Ugly Betty (4.76m/1.3) remained steady, but the big surprise was from the Rihana episode of 20/20 (8.18m/2.7).

CBS - It was, for the most part, another very solid week. Sunday was steady, with Amazing Race (11.22m/3.3), Three Rivers (7.7m/1.6), and Cold Case (9.02m/1.7). Of course, that steady means that Three Rivers remains a disappointment and its future prospects are not good. Monday was also solid with How I Met Your Mother (8.82m/3.5), Accidentally On Purpose (8.09m/3.1), 2 ½ Men (13.51m/4.4), Big Bang Theory (12.73m/4.7), and CSI: Miami (12.52m/3.6). Those numbers are off a bit, but we’ll give them a World Series pass as well.

Tuesday, that giant V premiere didn’t do much to slow down the NCIS (20.18m/4.3) juggernaut. NCIS:LA (15.29m/3.6) and The Good Wife (12.74m/2.7) were also on par. Wednesday brought a slightly baseball-weakened combination of Old Christine (6.68m/2), Gary Unmarried (6.29m/2), Criminal Minds (12.55m/3.4), and CSI:NY (12m/2.8).

Thursday, Survivor (12.44m/3.7) is again firmly in control of the hour. More interesting, The Mentalist (16.21m/3.6) topped CSI (15.6m/3.5) in both measures again. The troubling bit came on Friday, as Ghost Whisperer (7.93m/1.8) and Medium (7.58m/1.8) both lost to Law & Order, while Numb3rs (8.09m/1.8) was beaten by 20/20. I can’t remember the last time CBS was beaten in all three Friday hours while running all new episodes.

FOX - The World Series was the story last week. Games on Sunday (22.76m/7.8), Monday (17.09m/5.3), and Wednesday (22.34m/7.4) all did extremely well. So You Think You Can Dance (6.12m/2.4) held down the fort on Tuesday, and Bones (8.66m/2.6) and Fringe (4.86m/1.7) were back on Thursday. Bones moved to #2 in the hour, while Fringe remains a distant fourth.

The quick reaction is to blame the time slot, but compare it to what So You Think You Can Dance is up against on Tuesday at 8. ABC gains 5.73m/2.6. NBC gains 3.93m/2. CBS gains 7.74m/.6. That’s 17.3 million more viewers, and 5.2 more demo points facing SYTYCD, and it still outperformed Fringe. There is also the argument that because World Series Game 7 was scheduled Thursday, people didn’t know it was on. Unfortunately, that doesn’t explain the fact that Bones still managed 8.6 million viewers, or all those other weeks of subpar Fringe numbers. And in case you were wondering, House and Bones repeats on Friday again topped the Brothers, Til Death, and Dollhouse numbers.

NBC - With no football in prime time this week, the big success actually came on Friday. Law & Order is finally showing a little life, with episodes at 8 (7.99m/1.8) and 9 (8.41m/1.9) both winning their hours. Earlier in the week, it was more of the same on Monday from Heroes (5.86m/2.5) and Trauma (5.82m/1.9). The Biggest Loser (9.11m/3.5) remains a solid hit on Tuesday. Wednesday, Mercy (6.63m/1.7) and SVU (7.95m/2.4) were off, but it was the final game of the World Series, so let’s wait and see.

Thursday, Community (5.45m/2.3) and Parks & Recreation (4.91m/2.2) were both up. However, they do both remain below what Kath & Kim (5.57m/2.4) were doing at this time last year. The Office (8.09m/4.1) and 30 Rock (6.15m/3) continue along the same path. Leno had another rough week, falling below 4 million viewers once, and below 1.5 in the demo three times. I’m starting to think that Leno one night a week might not be a bad idea. Give him the post Biggest Loser slot, and return scripted to the other four hours. The numbers:

Monday: 3.92m/1.2
Tuesday: 5.96m/2
Wednesday: 4.81m/1.4
Thursday: 4.83m/1.6
Friday: 4.6m/1.2

CW - Nothing too exciting to report this week. One Tree Hill (2.32m/1.1) and Gossip Girl (1.98m/1) look to have taken a small hit from baseball. 90210 (1.92m/1) and Melrose Place (1.48m/.8) continue to struggle as we all wait to see what Heather Locklear will do to the Melrose numbers. Next Top Model (3.87m/1.7) was up, despite baseball. Thursday remains the strongest night of the week with Vampire Diaries (4.09m/1.9) and Supernatural (2.65m/1.2). And Smallville (2.76m/1.2) continues to grow.

CABLE - Not a lot to yell about on cable this week either. It is worth noting that the second episode of White Collar (5.075m/1.2), from 10/30,  held up very well. It looks like USA has found a few more characters. Stargate Universe (1.97m/.8), from the same night, found itself falling below the 2 million viewer mark. Sanctuary (1.6m/.5) and Monk (4.69m/1) were fairly steady. Some other numbers:

• Mad Men (1.78m/.7)
• Dexter (1.88m/.9)
• Lincoln Heights (1.11m/.3)
• Greek (.66m/.3)
• Sons Of Anarchy (3.52m/1.8)
• Nip/Tuck (2.17m/1.1)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (.98m/.4)
• Bored To Death (.72m/.4)
• Californication (.82m/.4)
• South Park (2.82m/1.5)
• It’s Always Sunny (1.99m/1.3)
• The League (1.41m/.9)
• Monday Night Football (12.37m/5.1)
• Kate: Her Story (3.79m/1.7)
• The Hills (1.99m/1.2)
• Mythbusters (1.82m/.8)
• Ghost Hunters (2.73m/1.3)

Related posts

• Ratings Clack – Should FOX switch Fringe and Lie To Me?
• Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc
• Ratings Clack – Where is FlashForward headed?

This week I turn my attention to one of the most shocking and sad moments in the history of Lost. It was a huge turn of events, particularly for the character of Ben. It was nothing more than a simple “held at gunpoint” scenario that has been used many times before. However, this time it would be different. It was such a great moment because the writers and creators of Lost decided to buck all the conventions regarding the cliched scenario.

That’s right, I’m talking about the standoff between Keamy (from the freighter) and Ben that included Alex being held at gunpoint that was featured in the fourth season episode “The Shape of Things to Come.”

For me, this was truly one of the more shocking moments from the show, eliciting an actual gasp from me when Keamy pulled the trigger and killed Alex execution style. I certainly didn’t see that outcome coming. Ben didn’t either, as he was calling Keamy’s bluff (or so he thought). What made the event even more tragic was the fact that Ben was calling the bluff by announcing how little Alex meant to him, hoping that the lies would make Keamy let her go. Instead, Alex’s final moments were full of hearing the man she considered a father saying how much he didn’t love her. Ouch.

Even though the moment was especially cruel to both Ben (not normally a very sympathetic character) and Alex, you have to give credit to the writers. By exploiting a cliche from TV and the movies, they were able to create a very powerful episode.

Alex’s death was a real turning point for Ben’s character. It was the culmination of his battle with the freighter folk (as sent by Charles Widmore) and marked the end of his time of power on the island. Ever since Alex’s death Ben has been a broken man and has gone from evil mastermind to struggling weasel. Sure, he still is constantly trying to manipulate and outsmart people, but Ben is no longer in a position of power. Instead, he is constantly trying to claw his way back into the island’s good graces.

While Alex’s death may have been one of the sadder moments of the series, it has set up Ben’s character for a great final season. I can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for us.

Related posts

• My favorite Lost moments – We have to go back!
• My favorite Lost moments – Jacob’s cabin
• My favorite Lost moments – The greatest phone call in TV history

For the past few years both Hulu and YouTube, now the grandparents of video-streaming sites, have been the main source for viewing shows from our childhood. While YouTube offers thousands of these shows, many of them are just clips — some of below-average quality — that rarely quench the viewers’ thirst. Hulu, on the other hand, offers full episodes, but not as much variety.

Recently (within the last year or so), two new video-streaming sites have gone online that cater exclusively to kids and, most importantly, our fat, near-middle-aged selves. For this column I thought I’d take some time and review the content on KidsWB.com and the brand-spanking new Jaroo.com.

Jaroo, created by Cookie Jar Entertainment, went online early this month with 50 kids programs targeted at the 4-12 year-old age range. All of the programs are from the company’s vast library of both animated and live-action fare. Two titles that will pop out for older viewers will be Inspector Gadget and Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. Other titles that might trigger significant memories are Beverly Hills Teens, Dino Squad, Pole Position, and The Littles.

Jaroo also offers a number of titles that you may not remember or haven’t seen before. For example, Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, a live-action series starring Matthew Lawrence. Or The Wombles, a British stop-motion series about a bunch of pointy-eared, furry creatures that live in burrows. Then there’s Siegfried & Roy. Yes, the former Las Vegas superstars had their own animated series back in the late 20th century.

While Jaroo has a number of unrecognizable programs, you’ll definitely recall all of the shows featured at KidsWB.com. Combining resources from Warner Brothers Animation, Hanna-Barbera, and DC Comics, KidsWB boasts the largest amount of cartoons online. Since the site itself only airs a handful of these cartoons at one time, it’s not certain if their boast is true or not. Perhaps they rotate the cartoons in and out.

Current cartoons in their channel lineup include the first season of The Flintstones (complete with original title sequences), The Jetsons, which for some reason are the rehashes from the ’80s, The Smurfs, Space Ghost and Dino Boy, various Looney Tunes shorts, Thundercats, and The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, which was one of the crappier incarnations of the franchise. In addition to the video channels, there are separate websites for DC heroes, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, and a KidsWB Jr. site that features Baby Looney Tunes. The other three sites have a more extensive selection of videos. For example, the DC Beyond site offers up videos from the various animated Batman incarnations, as well as Static Shock.

Needless to say, both Jaroo and KidsWB have enough material to totally decrease your productivity, while bringing you back to another time in your life that may have been a bit simpler. If you’re interested in watching what you remember, go with KidsWB first. If you’re looking for some new material, then jump off with Jaroo. Either way, you’ll be satisfied.

Related posts

• TV on DVD for September 8th
• Ten worst movies adapted from TV series
• CliqueClack Christmas: Holiday memories, courtesy of YouTube

This week brings with it the premiere of another new web series, and it’s one that you kind of have to see to believe. It’s just so out there. Those of you that take your sci-fi comedy with two cubes of absurd will feel right at home. If you’ve worn worn out the grooves on your Red Dwarf DVD, and read the words right off the pages in your Hitchhiker’s Guide collection, Hurtling Through Space At An Alarming Rate could be just the thing to satisfy that bizarro urge.

From writer/director Mike Davies, HTSAAR (as all the hip kids call it) is the story of two “astronaughts,” Mike (Mike Davies) and Stuart (Stuart Paap). They’re not your typical astronauts though. No, it seems that Mike and Stuart’s apartment is actually hurtling through space. As you might have guessed, it’s doing so at an alarming rate.  What’s more bizarre, they can still make phone calls, and people can come by and visit.

In their first adventure, the apartment crashes on the planet of tons of dirty laundry. That leads to the inevitable, an epic battle with a laundry monster. Initially, Mike and Stuart try to fight off the laundry monster with ketchup, beer, and wine. Their unseen roommate Gary later points out that you can’t fight a laundry monster with things that stain. (I know! Right?) Fortunately, Stuart’s sister, Elizabeth (Stephanie Thorpe), is able to stop by on her lunch break with some detergent. If that’s not enough, you also have Michelle (Taryn O’Neil), who has decided to pursue her first love, roller-derby girl.

It’s so crazy, you just have to see it. For the click averse, you can watch the embedded episode below. If you would like to see the big, fancy, high resolution version, head over to the HTSAAAR page at Babelgum. You can also find out more about the show on the HTSAAAR tumblr and facebook pages.

In other fantastic premiere news, this week also brings the long awaited debut of Riese. (And, just so you know, both of them are totally shot in Canada.) The first episode, “Hunt,”  is very much about setting the stage for what is to come. We meet Riese, and get an understanding of just what kind of trouble she finds herself in. The rest, is left to the imagination. If you really can’t wait, you can learn much more about where this is all headed at the main Riese site. Riese also has a nice facebook presence. Both of these are shows that I’m really looking forward to seeing more from. Here’s Riese, “The Hunt.”

Related posts

• Webisode Clack – Riese The Series

It’s another slow week for DVD releases, with the only current show releasing a set being The Clone Wars. There are still a number of old, and not so old, shows that are worth a look. First among those for most people will probably be the complete series collection from The Shield. My personal pick is volume one of the Rockford Files movie collection. Joining those on the shelves you’ll find Mission Impossible, Edge Of Darkness, Doctor Who, and Fraggle Rock, to name a few. The complete list is after the jump.

• The Shield: The Complete Series Collection
• The Clone Wars: The Complete Season 1 (Blu-ray)
• The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1
• Mission: Impossible: The 7th & Final Season
• Edge of Darkness: The Complete Series
• Spin City: The Complete 3rd Season
• Doctor Who: The War Games – Black Guardian Trilogy
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 7
• Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday – Complete Series Collection – The Complete Final Season
• Wolverine & the X-Men: Volumes 1-3
• Afro Samurai: Complete Murder Sessions (Director’s Cut) (Spike Version)
• G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.2 – Resolute
• Zorro: Generation Z Volume 5
• Walt Disney Treasures Limited Edition: Zorro Season 1 – Zorro Season 2
• Here’s Lucy: Season 2
• Ancient Lives
• The Genius of Charles Darwin

Related posts

• TV on DVD for September 15th
• TV on DVD for September 1st
• TV on DVD for October 6th

A combination of baseball and pre-sweeps repeats made for a bit of an odd week. Repeats don’t mean there aren’t numbers of note however. We had Jay Leno’s first shot against CSI: Miami and NY repeats, and a look at what running repeats on Friday does for FOX. That is, nothing good for Dollhouse season 3. Also interesting this week — The Mentalist finally topped CSI in viewers and the demo, and even a repeat Gibbs appearance is worth 16 million viewers.

FOX - Having the baseball playoffs paid off big for the network when NY joined the party. The three contests last week included  ALCS Game 6 (15.48m/5.2) on Sunday, and World Series Game 1 (19.51m/6.3) and Game 2 (18.9m/5.8) on Wednesday and Thursday.  Needless to say, those were some serious gains over the usual occupants.

Elsewhere, So You Think You Can Dance (5.85m/2.6) was well off the usual House number in it’s one-time stop on Monday. On a brighter note, with CBS in repeats, it still finished #2 in the hour. Lie To Me (6.33m/2.4) struggled without the House lead in. There were similar numbers for the first SYTYCD competition episode (6.47m/2.5) on Tuesday. The only other number of note came from the House (3.4m/1.1) repeat on Friday, which topped the usual Brothers, Til Death, and Dollhouse combination.

ABC - The week got off to a steady start with Sunday’s Extreme Makeover (10.59m/3), Desperate Housewives (14.18m/4.7), and Brothers & Sisters (9.97m/3.3). On Monday, Dancing With The Stars (17.38m/3.6) was steady in the demo. That’s positive news for Castle (9.99m/2.5), which was up a tenth. There were more gains on Tuesday, as Charlie Brown (8.8m/2.8) easily bested the usual performance of Shark Tank. DWTS (15.2m/3) was down in the demo over the previous week, but The Forgotten (8.26m/2) still managed to grow.

Charlie Brown (6m/2) also proved to be an improvement over Hank on Wednesday. The rest of the night, including The Middle (6.49m/2.2), Modern Family (9.33m/3.7), Cougar Town (7.54m/3.2), and Eastwick (5.02m/1.8), was up as well. Less exciting, FlashForward (8.92m/2.7) managed to find series lows on Thursday. Grey’s Anatomy (13.74m/5.2) was down week-to-week, but still the highest rated scripted program for the night. Private Practice (9.16m/3.6) continues to hold up well.  Friday, Ugly Betty (4.5m/1.2) was steady, if not impressive.

CBS - The week started with a reasonably steady full slate on Sunday, featuring Amazing Race (11.22m/3.4), Three Rivers (7.78m/1.7), and Cold Case (9.3m/1.8). Then, there were a whole lot of repeats as the network took Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off. Of note among those was the Monday 9-10 comedy block winning the hour in the demo. Tuesday, NCIS (16.7m/3.3) was the most watched show of the night. And CSI: Miami and NY both won their hours outright.

New programming picked back up Thursday with Survivor (12.19m/3.7), CSI (15.24m/3.4), and The Mentalist (15.53m/3.6). That is of particular note, given that it’s the first time The Mentalist has beaten CSI in viewers and demo this season. Friday was down week-to-week, but the network still won all three hours with Ghost Whisperer (8.28m/2), Medium (7.69m/1.8), and Numb3rs (7.74m/1.8).

NBC – It was, for the most part, a fairly steady week. Sunday Night Football (14.98m/5.9) was off a bit facing baseball, but still a huge winner for the network. Heroes (5.72m/2.5) was right on pace with last week. Oddly enough, Trauma (5.78m/1.9) was actually up for the week in which it was canceled. The Biggest Loser (9.67m/3.7) continued to cruise on Tuesday. And NBC got an animation boost of their own as Monsters vs Aliens (6.24m/2.2) improved on the Mercy demo on Wednesday.

Law & Order SVU (8.24m/2.8) was down in viewers, despite the Criminal Minds repeat. I suppose we can chalk that up to baseball. Thursday, Community (5.32m/2.1) was the only show that was actually up week-to-week. Parks & Recreation (4.8m/2), The Office (8.21m/4.2), and 30 Rock (6.1m/3.1) were all down, but close enough to expected averages. Friday, Law & Order (7m/1.4) continued to struggle.

Leno didn’t have a good week. Before the premiere, one of the network’s talking points was that while the show will get beat by originals, wait until it airs against repeats. We’ve seen what that looks like, and it’s not good news for Jay. Not only is Leno still being beaten by repeats, the numbers are still dropping. This week, Leno against a repeat CSI:Miami finished below Leno against a new CSI:Miami last week. Friday also brought the lowest demo in the series.

Mon – 4.74m/1.3
Tue – 6.06m/1.8
Wed – 5.03m/1.5
Thu – 4.41m/1.5
Fri – 5.14m/1.2

CW - The little network had a very good week. They took Tuesday off, but the other four nights were all up over the previous week. One Tree Hill (2.67m/1.3) and Gossip Girl (2.31m/1.2) took advantage of the missing House and repeat comedies. Next Top Model (3.51m/1.6) actually faced much stiffer competition with World Series Game 1, but looks to have gained some of those displaced SYTYCD viewers. Vampire Diaries (4.18m/2) and Supernatural (2.92m/1.4) were at the highest levels we’ve seen since the premiere. Smallville (2.6m/1.2) wrapped the winning week on Friday.

CABLE – The shine has worn off The Jeff Dunham Show (2.33m/1) rather quickly, as week two had less than half the viewers of week one. The other notable bit from the cable world was the premiere of FX’s new comedy, The League (.99m/.6), which is much better than its ratings might lead you to believe.

From the previous Friday, 10/23, here are a few of the cable numbers:

• Stargate: Universe (2.02m/.8)
• Sanctuary (1.69m/.5)
• Monk (5.42m/1.5)
• White Collar (5.4m/1.4)
• Wizards of Waverly Place (4.39m/.8)

And from the week just completed:

• Mad Men (1.72m/.6)
• Dexter (1.68m/.8)
• Greek (.77m/.4)
• Sons Of Anarchy (3.39m/1.8)
• Nip/Tuck (2.2m/1.1)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.05m/.4)
• Californication (.77m/.4)
• Bored To Death (.65m/.3)
• South Park (2.57m/1.3)
• Secret Girlfriend (1.38m/.7)
• It’s Always Sunny (1.35m/.8)
• Top Chef (3.04m/1.7)
• Project Runway (3.24m/1.4)
• The Hills (2.05m/1.2)
• Dirty Jobs (2.31m/.9)
• Mythbusters (2.56m/1)
• Ghost Hunters (3.06m/1.4)

Related posts

• Ratings Clack – Should FOX switch Fringe and Lie To Me?
• Ratings Clack – V gets off to a great start
• Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc

Okay, I will admit up front that the title of this post is most likely an overstatement, but look at Ben. He’s very sad, and do you know why? It’s because the final season of Lost is not going to be shown uninterrupted as last season was. Instead, it will be broken up by the winter Olympics that are scheduled to occur in the final weeks of February. Ben, and I, are both unhappy about this turn of events.

I suppose it’s not such a big deal, but when I was told the news, I was a little pissed.

I understand, and appreciate, that the Olympics are a big deal. It’s great to see the world put all of our differences aside and come together for a couple weeks of spirited athletic competition. It really is. On the other hand, I love Lost way more than I like the Olympics. Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of Olympics. Sure, I love the spirit of the Olympics, but watching hours upon hours of cross country skiing and ice dancing just isn’t my bag (full disclosure: four years ago I did become a little obsessed with curling. It’s fascinating).

I would understand the whole thing a little more if ABC were broadcasting the Olympics, but they’re going to be on NBC. I would think that there are a lot of people that would appreciate a little counter-programming during the two week sporting event. Having said that, knowing myself, I will probably get caught up in the Olympics and end up watching them constantly, even after stating otherwise. I know it happened last summer.

I know it’s not really a big deal in the scheme of things, and two weeks isn’t really going to kill the momentum of what is hopefully going to be an amazing final season. It just seems like a curious and unnecessary decision on ABC’s part.

What do you think? Are you more excited for the Olympics, or the final season of Lost?

Related posts

• Lost in Lost – Spoilers pouring in from Comic-Con
• Lost in Lost – So … about next season

With Halloween just around the corner, it seems fitting that we turn our web series attention toward something with a bit of a macabre twist. Dead and Lonely, new this week from IFC, looks rather unassuming at the start. We follow along as two people, Lee and Justin, meet through exactly the kind of dating site you’ve seen a hundred times on the Internet. Well, almost exactly. The look is there, but as the name of the site (dateordie.net) suggests, there is something a little bit different about the way things work on this one.

I don’t want to give away the big reveal tucked away inside of the first episode, but I will toss out this bit from the about page. “In this series, two lonely Los Angeles singles are brought together via the popular Internet dating website DateOrDie.net. The only problem is…one of them is a vampire.” That was enough of a hook to get me to watch. I think of it like … with Seeking Simone online dating has never been so gay, and with Dead and Lonely, online dating really bites.

Of course, there has to be more to it than that. “One of them is a vampire” is a good hook, but there has to be something more to keep you coming back. With three episodes released as of now, that something is the mood and style of the piece. It’s all very deliberate, and taking its time working toward things. Through long scenes just watching the characters there is an undercurrent of background music that borders on creepy, but never gets too over the top. It’s very cool to watch, and sets the mood as we head toward that first meeting.

We’ll have to keep following along to know how it all really plays out. With episode three, our possible match has just met, and one of them is about to get a very big surprise. Here’s the first episode. The next two are already available at the IFC Dead and Lonely site.

And since I brought up Seeking Simone, I thought it would be a good idea to start highlighting some of the past shows from the Webisode column each week. The real trick with these shows is keeping up with all the various release schedules. So I’ll try to update a couple of them each week, in case you meant to go back but just didn’t get around to it.

Seeking Simone: The episodes continue to roll out at a leisurely Canadian pace, with the latest being episode 4, “A League Of Her Own.” That one is notable because Simone finally gets some, so we have the hot girl on girl action going for us, which is nice. Even better than that though — and the reason the show remains one of my favorites — is Simone herself. Renee Olbert is outstanding — easily bouncing between adorable and sexy, all while being laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Lumina: The last chapter of the Lumina run, “Endgame,” is now available. If you haven’t been following along, I do recommend you take a few minutes and go watch the whole thing. What started off as a remarkable example of just how great a web series can look turned into quite a story as well. I’m eagerly awaiting any new projects from Jennifer Thym.

Related posts

• Webisode Clack – Lumina
• Webisode Clack – Yeah, lesbians like Buffy. Alert the media.
• Webisode Clack – Dear Audrey, what is teabagging?

With most of the big sets out of the way, our DVD attention now turns toward the older shows. This week does offer a couple of current things from Battlestar Galactica, Adult Swim, and The Secret Saturdays. The real gems, however, come from years gone by. My pick for the week would be the new Collector’s Edition of The Prisoner, but I already have the 40th Anniversary set. If you also find that particular collection checked off on your DVD to-do list, you may be interested in the various selections in the Monty Python section.

Reminder: Don’t forget to enter the latest CliqueClack DVD giveaway. Just leave a comment and you’ll be eligible to win the Adult Swim In A Box collection. The complete list of this week’s releases is after the jump.

• Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (Blu-ray)
• The Prisoner: The Complete Series Megaset (Collector’s Edition)
• Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Blu-ray)
• Monty Python: The Other British Invasion
• Monty Python: The Best of Monty Python – 40th Anniversary
• The Diary of Anne Frank (As Seen On BBC)
• Adult Swim In A Box
• The Secret Saturdays: Vol. 2
• The Guardian: The 1st Season
• The Fugitive: Season 3, Volume 1
• CBS News Sunday Morning: On the Road with Charles Kuralt: Set 1
• Tales from the Darkside: The 2nd Season
• Mannix: The 3rd Season
• Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960’s Vol 2 – 1970’s Vol 2
• Dogfights: The Complete Series Megaset
• The Barbara Stanwyck Show: Volume 1
• Visions of Europe: Complete Series

Related posts

• AMC’s The Prisoner reboot – CliqueClack giveaway
• Adult Swim in a Box – CliqueClack Giveaway
• Venture Bros. – Helper! Kill Hitler!

We do often get caught up in the big numbers from the big networks. It is, after all, hard to overlook the fact that NCIS is still growing its audience in the 7th season. There are still some very interesting stories happening on the little network, CW. When it was announced that Vampire Diaries would be paired with Supernatural, while Smallville was shuffled off to Friday, many people expected that was the end.

The show wouldn’t be able to come back from a year grinding away on Friday nights. After a few weeks looking at the numbers though, that’s not the case at all. Clark and the gang can celebrate good times, despite taking a hit from the move. In fact, this week Smallville topped new episodes of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, 90210, and Melrose Place. It’s far from done. Elsewhere, we had our first sizable crop of repeats this week, which brought some interesting results.

CW – With Smallville getting the lead, we’ll start with CW this week. The week got off to a slow start with One Tree Hill (2.21m/1) and Gossip Girl (1.98m/1.1) both down. Things picked up, if you can call it that, on Tuesday with 90210 (2.25m/1.1) remaining steady and Melrose Place (1.5m/.7) gaining in viewers. Next Top Model (2.99m/1.4) was steady as well. Vampire Diaries (2.27m/.9) and Supernatural (1.83m/.8) were repeats, but it is worth noting given that the Vampire Diaries repeat had more viewers than all of the Monday and Tuesday originals. Smallville (2.52m/1.1) closed out the week with the best performance for a scripted show on the network, and also managed to finish tied for third in the demo on the night.

ABC – It was something of an uneventful week for the network. Sunday’s performance was steady with Extreme Makeover (10.33m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.68m/4.6), and Brothers & Sisters (9.72m/3.2). Likewise, Monday finished very much like the previous week with Dancing With The Stars (16.82m/3.6) and Castle (9.69m/2.4). It is worth noting that the Castle numbers have been good enough that the network has picked up the back 9.

Things started to change on Tuesday, as Shark Tank (5.92m/1.8) and DWTS Results (14.92m/3.4) both saw gains. Unfortunately, that didn’t do anything for The Forgotten (7.3m/1.9), which slipped to the lowest numbers of the season. Those 10PM struggles were repeated on Wednesday, with Eastwick (4.78m/1.6) also finding new lows. That came on the heels of a night of comedy that was down across the board with Hank (5.78m/1.5), The Middle (6.53m/2), Modern Family (8.66m/3.4), and Cougar Town (7.31m/3.1). Things really don’t look good for Hank.

There were more changes on Thursday, although they really weren’t that surprising. FlashForward (9.87m/3.1) gained in viewers while holding steady in the demo. Grey’s Anatomy (15.06m/5.3), on the other hand, posted big week-to-week gains. Of course, that was against a repeat CSI. Surprisingly though, it didn’t translate into gains for Private Practice (9.93m/3.7). The show was down without the crossover element, despite facing a repeat Mentalist. Friday, Supernanny (4.7m/1.1) returned above the year ago premiere, and Ugly Betty (4.55m/1.2) limped to a third place finish in the hour.

CBS - The week started off with shenanigans as the football overrun bumped Cold Case for the night. Amazing Race (10.92m/3.3) and Three Rivers (7.38m/1.9) didn’t see any benefit from that. Monday was mostly par for the course, with one notable exception. Accidentally On Purpose (8.25m/3.3) actually beat How I Met Your Mother (8.07m/3.4) in viewers. Did anyone see that coming? Later, the duo of 2 ½ Men (14.07m/4.8) and Big Bang Theory (13.47m/5.3) continued to dominate the 9PM hour. CSI: Miami (13.16m/3.9) finished the night on a winning note.

Tuesday was up across the board, on the back of NCIS (21.25m/4.7) continuing to impress. That led to good things for NCIS:LA (16.48m/3.9) and The Good Wife (13.26m/2.8). Wednesday remained steady. Old Christine (6.58m/2) and Gary Unmarried (6.76m/2.2) seem to have fought off the ABC comedies, while Criminal Minds (14.27m/3.8) and CSI:NY (13m/3) easily win their hours. Survivor (12.9m/4) was the lone new entry on Thursday, but it is worth noting that The Mentalist (11.79m/2.8) beat CSI (10.14m/2.2) in repeats. Friday was again an easy victory for Ghost Whisperer (8.46m/2.1), Medium (8.43m/2.2), and Numb3rs (8.05m/1.8).

NBC - Overall, it was actually a good week for NBC, relatively speaking. Sunday Night Football (18.17m/7.2) continues to be huge. And Heroes (5.72m/2.5) was actually up. With Mercy (7.18m/1.9)  getting a full season, things don’t look good for Trauma (5.46m/1.8). Tuesday, The Biggest Loser (9.82m/3.9) was also up. There were more gains to be had on Wednesday, as L&O: SVU (9.15m/2.8) continued to grow. There is still the very real possibility that it could compete with Criminal Minds in the demo by the end of the season.

Thursday continues to be a mixed bag. Technically, Community (5.04m/1.9) and Parks & Recreation (4.93m/2.1) had the 8PM hour up over last week. But really, if Kath & Kim are looking down at your numbers, that’s really bad. The Office (8.73m/4.4) and 30 Rock (6.84m/3.3) took advantage of the CSI vacation. Friday, Law & Order (7.17m/1.5) continued to struggle, while Dateline (7.91m/1.8) continued to make the case for canceling Southland.

Leno… didn’t have a good week.The numbers continue to shrink, slowly. Two nights below five million, and two below 1.5 in the demo. Most troubling might be the fact that despite nice gains from The Office and 30 Rock on Thursday, and facing a repeat Mentalist, Leno was actually down.

Mon – 4.74m/1.4
Tue – 5.46m/1.8
Wed – 5.14m/1.5
Thu – 4.97m/1.6
Fri – 6.15m/1.4

FOX - The week started off with one of the most interesting repeats of the week. An old Family Guy (8.13m/4.2) was stuffed in with new episodes from The Simpsons (8.69m/4.1), Cleveland (7.62m/3.8), American Dad (6.25m/3.1) but still managed to be the highest rated. Monday, being pushed back by baseball didn’t do any favors for House (11.65m/4.4) and Lie To Me (7.79m/2.9). The news was better from baseball (10.3m/3.4) on Tuesday. Wednesday, So You Think You Can Dance (6.91m/2.6) and Glee (7.15m/3.3) were steady. I’m curious to see what happens as SYTYCD gets into the competition.

Baseball (11.85m/3.7) returned Thursday, offering a boost to the usual numbers. Friday was more of the same. The only semi-surprise was that  Til Death (1.97m/.7) managed to fall below 2 million viewers. Yikes. It’s pretty bad when you lose viewers from Brothers (2.35m/.8). Dollhouse (2.15m/.8) slipped again, marking its second worse performance ever.

Cable – Ryan asked for numbers from Stargate: Universe and Sanctuary last week. I don’t usually include them because unless Syfy sees fit to issue a press release over the weekend, the post is up before they come out. So, the next best thing is week old numbers. For the 10/16 broadcasts the numbers were Stargate: Universe (2.1m/.9) and Sanctuary (1.77m/.6). That same night, USA had Monk (3.98m/1) and Psych (3.68m/1.2). The interesting premiere this week was The Jeff Dunham Show (5.34m/2.2). That’s impressive, given the overwhelming hatred of the show from critics. It’s also worth noting that Sons Of Anarchy (3.7m/2) beat both Leno and The Forgotten in the demo. Other interesting cable numbers for the past week:

• Monday Night Football (13.47m/5.5)
• Hannah Montana (5.72m/1)
• Mad Men (1.61m/.5)
• Dexter (1.51m/.7)
• Californication (.77m/.3)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.08m/.5)
• Bored To Death (.66m/.3)
• Project Runway (3.02m/1.3)
• Real Housewives Of Atlanta (2.97m/1.6)
• It’s Always Sunny (1.52m/.9)
• Lincoln Heights (.92m/.2)
• Greek (.68m/.3)
• The Hills (1.83m/1.1)
• Dirty Jobs (1.86m/.9)
• Mythbusters (2.28m/1)
• Top Chef (2.86m/1.5)
• South Park (2.58m/1.4)
• Secret Girlfriend (1.29m/.6)
• Nip/Tuck (2.23m/1.2)
• Ghost Hunters (3.07m/1.4)

Related posts

• Ratings Clack – V gets off to a great start
• Ratings Clack – Where is FlashForward headed?
• Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc

I hear so many people say that they gave up on Lost during the third season. I will admit that the short block of episodes that opened the season was probably the lowest point in Lost’s history. The entire Jack, Sawyer, and Kate in cages story line just didn’t work. However, once the season got going it turned out to be just as great as the rest of the show, culminating in an amazing season finale.

Yes, I talked about “Through the Looking Glass” in my column last week, but the episode did include more than one great moment. After talking about the flashforward twist last week, this week I want to turn my focus to Charlie’s death.

Through a lot of season three, there was a big will-they-won’t-they dynamic going on with Charlie’s fate. Desmond was having visions of the future, with the vast majority of them ending in Charlie’s death. Every time Desmond changed his foretold events to save Charlie, he would have another one predicting Charlie’s demise. After so much build up, we pretty much knew that Charlie was going to drown. Heck, even Charlie knew that he was going to drown in the Looking Glass station, even if everyone was hoping that he wouldn’t.

The knowledge that Charlie was most likely going to meet his death in the episode didn’t take away from the impact of the scene at all. Like Penny and Desmond’s phone call in season four, I think the production of this scene was just perfect. The quiet music that played as Charlie frantically wrote on his hand in slow motion, trying to get the message to Desmond set the mood perfectly. Each little touch really worked well.

It was hard to say goodbye to Charlie, but at the same time it was great to see such a satisfying story arc completed for the character. To think that Charlie started the series as a selfish washed up rock star junkie and ended up being, most likely, the purest hero of the series is pretty incredible. In a show filled with flawed characters, Charlie’s sacrifice for the rest of the 815ers underscored how good of a person Charlie really was.

If Juliet’s sacrifice at the end of last season actually worked, perhaps she and Charlie will both get different (and hopefully happy) endings.

Related posts

• My favorite Lost moments – We have to go back!
• My favorite Lost moments – Alex held at gunpoint
• FlashForward – A return to the characters

I’ve been thinking about creating a Survivor-type reality show where we put all the stupid celebrities into a big balloon and send it into the stratosphere. Then they’d have to do in-air challenges, and the loser gets tossed over.

I realize there’s no way we could get them all into one balloon unless it was the size of North America, but just work with me. We could even get the helium industry on as a sponsor. Here’s a few people I’d push into the balloon myself:

Jon Gosselin. Let’s face it: he’s a loser who’s into the whole fame and fortune thing, and has lost sight of reality. At first I thought he couldn’t speak without having his attorney duct-taped to his side — like when he was on Larry King — but then he actually did start speaking on his own, and he definitely needs the attorney there.

Octomom. Because she has a crush on Jon Gosselin. And just because.

Richard Heene. Balloon Boy’s dad, in case you haven’t watched the news in the past week. Are his 15 minutes of fame up yet? Into the balloon with you!

Suzanne Somers. Go back to selling your thigh-master, S. No one needs your so-called medical advice, least of all Patrick Swayze’s grief-stricken family.

Joe Jackson. That would be Michael Jackson’s dad, not the singer Joe Jackson, whom I love. As for Michael’s Dad, he’s charging $3,000 a ticket on opening night for “This Is It,” so fans can meet him and see the film. And the sad thing is, he’ll probably sell all those tickets.

Anyone trying to extort cash from the Travolta family. What is WRONG with people? A family loses their beloved son and people immediately go after them for all the cash they can get. All of you, into the balloon.

Chris Brown. I don’t care how many domestic violence awareness groups you get involved in, you’re still a loser.

Kanye West. Ditto.

Ok, who else belongs in the balloon? Spill!

Related posts

• Reality Clack – Evil Russells, mylar balloons over Colorado
• Jon Gosselin’s Funny or Die video may be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
• See Jane Clack: Who’s the bigger douchebag – Dave Letterman or Jon Gosselin?

I continue to be amazed at the sheer number of shows that are out there on the Internet, just waiting to be watched. And, happily, by the fact that a lot of them are really good. This week, we return to the comedy realm to check in on the guys from Guess Again. The show, at its core, is dead simple: Dean (Paul Carganilla), Jeremy (Keith Toll), and Rex (Max Abrams) are roommates, and they have strange conversations. It never really gets much more complicated than that, and that’s okay. Because the real gem of this one is in the writing.

The three main characters play very well together. If you’ve ever spent any time living in a house with a bunch of guys, you’ll recognize the dynamic. Jeremy is basically a good guy, but has some anger issues. Dean is an actor, kind of, and the most level headed. And Rex … well, Rex isn’t the brightest bulb in the drawer, but he is the funniest.

There is an ongoing gag where Rex tries to use a phrase, but just doesn’t quite get it. After learning that Jeremy would go gay for Obama, Rex can understand it. After all, Obama is “a good looking milano.” Or later, he tells Jeremy that he is “so anally receptive.” It’s very funny. With all of the episodes taking place in their living room, the wordplay is a big part of the attraction.

And that wordplay is at the center of my favorite of the six episodes released so far. “Black Ian” centers around a discussion about whether or not it’s racist for Rex to refer to his friend Ian, who is black, as Black Ian. Like the show itself, it’s a simple idea, but the execution is fantastic. Have a look for yourself at the embedded episode below.

And if you like that, there are five more episodes available at the official Guess Again site, as well as the usual assortment of links to various twitter and facebook treats. They’ve even gone so far as to create a website where you can get acting lessons from THE Dean George. Fun stuff all around. One final note … if you’re watching at work, or on your Nanna’s computer, you should know that the boys use their grown up words on occasion.

Episode Two: “Black Ian” from Guess Again on Vimeo.

Other posts

• Ratings Clack – An alternative to Nielsen?
• Make It or Break It ain’t a bad way to while away the time between seasons of Greek
• Harper’s Island – It’s all about the timeline

The only current shows releasing sets this week are Numb3rs and Top Chef, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see down at your local DVD Hut. Topping the list for me, Dan Freaking Tanna. Yes, finally, we can all watch Vega$ any time we want. If classic P.I. isn’t your style, there are also a number of collections that are worth a look, such as complete sets from Homicide, Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and Plastic Man. Other highlights include The L Word, Hawaii Five-O, and Peanuts. The complete list is after the jump.

• Vega$: The 1st Season, Vol. 1
• The L Word:  The Final Season
• Numb3rs: Seasons 1 – 5
• Top Chef:  New York (Season 5)
• Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Series
• The Black Adder:   The Ultimate Edition – Black Adder II – Black Adder III – Black Adder IV – Black Adder V
• Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection
• Hawaii Five-O: The 7th Season
• It’s Garry Shandling’s Show: The Complete Series
• Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler
• Route 66: Season 3, Volume 2
• The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: Best of Season 2
• Tales of Wells Fargo: The Best of the Color Season
• Peanuts: 1970’s Collection, Vol. 1
• Hi-5: Season 3
• The Judy Garland Show: Judy Garland Holiday Special
• Faerie Tale Theatre: Bedtime Tales & Magical Tales
• Plastic Man: The Complete Collection

Related posts

• Ratings Clack – Should FOX switch Fringe and Lie To Me?
• Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc
• Seven really unlucky TV characters

FlashForward is one of the more interesting shows of the new season where ratings are concerned. On the one hand, so far it has been a huge upgrade for the 8-9 spot on ABC. And while it has been surpassed by Survivor, it does continue to hold off Bones in the demo. On the other hand, the ratings don’t seem to be settled yet, which makes each week a new adventure. This week, the yo-yo headed back up. What will next week bring? One can only guess. I continue to think that it will eventually be passed up by the fiercely loyal Bones audience at some point, finding its place as the number 3 show in the hour. Elsewhere this week, there was good news for Dancing With The Stars, NCIS, Law & Order, So You Think You Can Dance, and Smallville. The news wasn’t so good for Hank, Parks & Recreation, Three Rivers, or Melrose Place.

ABC - Overall, it was a very good week for the network. Sunday was off a bit week-to-week with Extreme Makeover (9.81m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.42m/3.6), and Brothers & Sisters (8.97m/3), but those are still solid numbers. And there were plenty of gains through the rest of the week. Monday, Dancing With The Stars (16.79m/3.6) and Castle (9.77m/2.3) were both up. Tuesday was also up for the night with Shark Tank (5.24m/1.6), DWTS (13.96m/2.9) and The Forgotten (7.43m/2.1). The Forgotten was down in viewers, but up in demo. Wednesday was a bit of a mixed bag with Modern Family (9.35m/3.6) and Cougar Town (7.99m/3.3) both up, while Hank (6.15m/1.6), The Middle (6.77m/2.1), and Eastwick (5.08m/1.7) were all down.

In a bit of oddness, Thursday found FlashForward (9.07m/3.1) and Private Practice (10.36m/3.8) both posting gains while Grey’s Anatomy (13.79m/5) took a bit of a dip. Still, that’s a dip that still left it #1 in the demo for the night. Friday was also up with the premiere of Ugly Betty (5.01m/1.3 – 5.18m/1.3). Of course, that’s well off last season’s Ugly Betty numbers, and up over repeats. I’ve no idea what ABC is expecting from Ugly Betty on the night, but the increased competition should be worrisome for FOX.

CBS - The Tiffany network also had a good week, starting with The Amazing Race (10.52m/3.2). Unfortunately, Phil’s gains didn’t do much for Three Rivers (7.33m/1.7) and Cold Case (7.87m/1.9). Both of those should be considered on the bubble at this point. That was just a temporary setback though, as business picked back up Monday. How I Met Your Mother (8.56m/3.6), Accidentally On Purpose (7.73m/3), 2 ½ Men (14.17m/4.8), and Big Bang Theory (13.07m/5) all bounced back from an off week, gaining in viewers and demo. CSI: Miami (13.27m/4) was off just a bit in viewers, but also up in viewers. That 8-9 hour of comedy continues to be interesting. In moving Big Bang to 9:30, the 8-9 hour is down 1.1 million viewers and 4 tenths in the demo versus last year (Big Bang 9.36m/3.6, HIMYM 9.14m/3.8). Although, to be fair, the 9-10 hour is up 1.4 million viewers and .6 in the demo (2 ½ Men 14.57m/5.3, Worst Week 9.78m/3.3).

Moving on, NCIS (21.04m/4.5) continues to roll. Despite that being up, NCIS:LA (15.38m/3.5) and The Good Wife (12.98m/2.8) were both off week-to-week. The good news though is that they both remain up over last year (Mentalist 14.86m/3.4, Without A Trace 10.99m/2.6). Wednesday also saw gains with Old Christine (6.99m/2.1), Gary Unmarried (6.91m/2.3), and CSI: NY (13.4m/3.2) up in both measurements. Criminal Minds (13.92m/3.8) was off slightly in viewers, but also gained demo.

Thursday saw week-to-week gains across the board with Survivor (11.78m/3.5), CSI (15.38m/3.6), and The Mentalist (15.08m/3.5). It’s interesting to note that The Mentalist is so close to becoming the #1 show for the network on the night. Friday, as usual, was an easy win with Ghost Whisperer (8.21m/2), Medium (8.04m/1.9), and Numb3rs (7.77m/1.8) all holding up well against baseball.

FOX - A bit of a mixed bag of results in a week that was still very good. The Sunday toons, The Simpsons (7.6m/3.7), Cleveland Show (7.87m/3.9), Family Guy (8.97m/4.6), and American Dad (6.75m/3.5) were all down, but still very strong. It’s worth noting that Cleveland is building on the Simpsons audience. Monday was also down, with House (13.49m/5.2) and Lie To Me (7.87m/2.8). Not a worry for House, the #1 demo of the night, but Lie To Me should be better. Tuesday was a great result as Hell’s Kitchen (8.04m/3.8) continues to hold up amazingly well.

The really interesting bit of the week came on Wednesday. So You Think You Can Dance (7.21m/2.8) continues to grow now that the weeks (and weeks) of auditions are over. It’s now #1 in the demo for the hour. That led to a slight boost for Glee (7.65m/3.4) as well. Thursday was more of the same, with Bones (9.59m/2.8) on par, and Fringe (5.78m/2.2) continuing to struggle in the 9PM meat grinder. Friday was way up over the usual schedule with baseball. Sports are iffy for numbers, but the early results say something in the neighborhood of 7.54 million viewers and a 2.4 for the night.

NBC - How NBC did this week really depends on your glass. Is it half full, or half empty?  For example, the entire Monday lineup was up in viewers and demo. But then, when you come up to numbers like Heroes (5.55m/2.4), Trauma (5.49m/1.8), and Leno (5.09m/1.6), it’s hard to really celebrate. There were similar results for Mercy (7.37m/1.9), which was up in the demo. As well as Community (5.01m/2) which gained in both over last week. The only really bad news probably comes from Parks & Recreation (4.53m/2). To give an idea of how bad that is, last year at this time Kath & Kim knocked down 6.01 million viewers and a 2.5.

There was good news to be had. As usual, Sunday Night Football (16.02m/6.2) remains a power. The Biggest Loser (9.14m/3.5) was also rather steady. The Office (8.03m/4.1) was down from the big wedding episode, but remains the best rated scripted program on the network. 30 Rock (6.39m/3), given the demo, also had a successful debut. There was also some good news on the Law & Order front. Both SVU (8.77m/2.6) and L&O (7.6m/1.6) remain down year-to-year, but they are also both gaining. That’s a trend worth watching. It could be that as people tire of the new programming, they’ll return to the old standbys.

Leno, overall, had a rough week that ended with his worst showing yet on Friday. The only victory for Leno came on Wednesday, as the show was #2, edging out Eastwick. The numbers:

Monday (5.09m/1.6)
Tuesday (5.77m/1.8)
Wednesday (6.15m/1.8)
Thursday (5.37m/1.8)
Friday (4.97m/1.2)

CW - Count the littlest network as also having a good week. One Tree Hill (2.55m/1.2), Gossip Girl (2.36m/1.2), Vampire Diaries (3.88m/1.8), Supernatural (2.58m/1.2), and Smallville (2.62m/1.1) were all up over last week. 90210 (2.25m/1.1) was off a tenth in demo, but gained viewers. Next Top Model (3m/1.4) was off over the previous week, but remains the #2 show on the network. The only really bad news continues to be Melrose Place (1.38m/.7) which has now fallen well off the pace of Privileged last season.

CABLE - The most intriguing number for me on cable this week was Nip/Tuck (2.92m/1.4). That’s not a bad number, but it’s more interesting in showing just how successful FX is with Sons Of Anarchy (3.31m/1.8). It looks like SAMCRO will be around for awhile. Let’s just hope the writer’s get this whole Oz fascination out of their system sooner, rather than later. Some other cable numbers of note:

• Mad Men (1.53m/.6)
• Army Wives (3.93m/1.3)
• Monday Night Football (13.14m/5.4)
• Top Chef (2.67m/1.4)
• South Park (2.56m/1.3)
• Secret Girlfriend (1.25m/.6)
• It’s Always Sunny (1.61m/1)
• Project Runway (2.97m/1.3)
• Mythbusters (2.69m/1.2)
• The Hills (1.72m/1)
• Ghost Hunters (2.91m/1.3)
• Real Housewives of Atlanta (2.64m/1.4)
• Greek (.66m/.3)

Related posts

• Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc
• Ratings Clack – Is Dollhouse about to get pulled?
• Ratings Clack – V gets off to a great start

The latest route for many of the reality shows I watch is to get the most obnoxious self-absorbed folks ever in the cast. Then they focus on those people for the action almost more than any physical competitions or such. I suppose it does take a quirky personality and a dubious psyche to want to be on the shows, but give me a break.

Then there’s the mylar balloon boy

Thankfully I was at work and my daytime television wasn’t taken up with the balloon hoax this past week. Since I’m talking poor behavior, obnoxious and self-absorbed Hollywood wannabes, I can’t write this column without a mention of this event.

I saw the original Wife Swap show with the Heene family. As a sometimes watcher of WS, I just can’t fathom where they get these extreme families. Hey, my own family was as dysfunctional as they come, but not to the zealot or bizarre level of the families they get for this reality show.

When I first saw the events on the news about the little boy (not) in the mylar balloon and they announced the family, I figured it was a hoax. Has the reality TV genre created monsters amongst us? It used to be that if you wanted to be on stage, in movies, or on television, you got a waitstaff job at a restaurant and went to audition after audition before landing a gig (or not). Now it seems evil and whacked-out seem to be the criteria. Don’t get me going on the Jon and Kate stuff.

What’s up with all the arguing these days?

I might be wrong by throwing in a tabloid show in the reality genre, but I’m doing it anyway. I sometimes have The Insider on as it’s after the CBS Evening News which is a habit for me. They’ve changed the format and now everyone on a panel takes sides in a debate?

I’m sure this says something about the state of our society that they can’t just report the Hollywood gossip without arguing pros and cons about it. For me, it would be easy. Jon and Kate are egocentric Hollywood wannabe rich kids with kids who want a free ride because they had too many kids. Case closed.

The good of reality television

There’s So You Think You Can Dance. I love this show. I can’t dance even if I had to dance for my life even though I attended obligatory tap dancing lessons for years as a child. I find the show both entertaining and refreshing. Why refreshing? Well, because the young adults on the show at this stage have all worked so hard at their craft. They aren’t sailing by on being evil or weird. They’re working hard and they’re amazing.

For the most part, The Amazing Race is still showing the good. Sure, they have the occasional ugly American or bickering team. But overall, it’s a look at a world that most of us couch surfers aren’t going to see. It allows us to get glimpses of lands, cultures, and people so far removed from our own lives. And, they’re not dependent on evil or whacked for casting.

Related posts

• Reality Clack – Survivor, American Idol, America’s Best Dance Crew, Celebrity Apprentice, Amazing Race, The Bachelor
• Reality Clack – The Amazing Race, American Idol, Survivor, The Bachelor, Celebrity Apprentice
• Reality Clack – Hell’s Kitchen, The Bachelor, American Idol, Survivor