The Week In Clack – Paula quits, Paris on Supernatural, and Anna engaged
With the big TCA presentations going on, it’s been a pretty big week for TV news. However, all of the talk about what we can look forward to in the fall was trumped by one short little burst on Twitter, from Paula Abdul. She chose that unconventional venue to announce that she’s leaving American Idol. What does that mean for the show? With any luck, the beginning of a steady decline that ends in cancellation. Until we are visited by those glorious days, it looks like it will be business as usual.
Kara DioGuardi will be back. According to Mike Darnell, president of alternative at FOX, “Kara’s spitfire personality and sharp musical sensibility infused American Idol with a new energy last year.” Well, one man’s “spitfire personality” is another’s “bitchy haranguing.” Paula will be replaced during the auditions by a collection of pop stars. So far, that includes Katy Perry and Victoria Beckham. I like that idea, but I hope they’re ready. Those are some awfully crazy shoes to fill. It’s unclear what will happen once the competition begins.
Lots of non-Idol news, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Webisode Clack – Fury Of Solace
I know that there are many fans of Dr. Horrible among the CliqueClack audience. Those of you that count yourself among that lot will probably remember the contest that coincided with the DVD. Fans were given the opportunity to submit video applications to the Evil League Of Evil, with the winners being included on the DVD. One of those that I thought was a standout was Fury Of Solace. Unfortunately, it didn’t make the cut, but the story doesn’t end there. Fury Of Solace is back, and in a very interesting way. Read the rest of this entry »
Webisode Clack – Red vs Blue, a classic and a question
I’ve been obsessed with the Women’s College World Series for the last week, which has put me a bit behind on my web TV viewing. So, this week I thought we’d jump in the wayback machine and take a look at the first web series that I got hooked on, Red vs Blue. I headed off in search of some video to embed, and that’s where the question part of the post came in. Have you spent any money on web TV? And if not, is that a dealbreaker? Or, what would it take to knock the lock off the wallet? Read the rest of this entry »
This American Life – A night of TV (kinda), filmed live(ish)
I’m a nerd. I’m not sure if this has come through in my writing to this point, but if it hasn’t, this post will make it clear. As part of being a nerdy hipster, I listen to NPR, and in particular, have an enormous fondness for This American Life. It’s the one radio show and podcast that I listen to religiously every week. I never miss an episode. For those of you wondering why I’m writing a post about a radio show: it has also become a television show on Showtime, so leave me alone!
Thursday night, I was lucky enough to go to a live show as they recorded an episode. I wasn’t actually there, but instead I was at a movie theater, as the taping was being simulcast to hundreds of movie theaters across the country. It was a unique and really fun experience, and there was a lot of cross over to the realm of TV. Don’t believe me? I have a name that will surely change your mind: Joss Whedon!
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog DVD – CliqueClack Review
The moment I caught the news, via Dr. Horrible’s Twitter feed, that a DVD version of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was complete, I knew I had to eventually own it. I didn’t care that I’d seen the entire show online for free, or that I’d bought each act from iTunes already or saw it on screens at ComicCon with thousands of singing freaky fans this past summer. No sir.
Lucky me, I was able to obtain an early review release of Dr. Horrible before it makes its way to Amazon.com on December 19. Oh, don’t call me so lucky — it’s just a cheap burn from the offices of Bad Horse/ELE for review purposes, so I’ve still got my pre-order set for the official release (not that I’m complaining!)
So, let’s look at what you get with the DVD that you haven’t already seen….
Webisode Clack – Dr. Horrible; Sling vs. Hulu; Battlestar Galactica
There’s more to TV than television. Every year — heck, every month — there are more new Internet-only shows popping up online and in podcasts, and existing shows expanding their worlds in the same way. Here are some notable things going on in the world of webisodes …
Dr. Horrible available for pre-order
Big non-surprise of the day: I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan. So when I’d heard of his Dr. Horrible musical coming online, I didn’t hesitate to buy it on iTunes. Finally, though, the complete movie is coming to DVD and is available at Amazon.com for pre-order now. What’s surprising to me is that the run-time clocks in at 100 minutes — that’s longer than some feature films. The trio of videos released online only totaled about 40 minutes. What’s in those extra 60 minutes?
Anyway, I highly recommend the series, even if you’re no fan of musicals or Joss Whedon.
Webisode Clack – Mindy Kaling; The Guild; The Office; H+
There’s more to TV than television. Every year — heck, every month — there are more new Internet-only shows popping up online and in podcasts, and existing shows expanding their worlds in the same way. Here are some notable things going on in the world of webisodes …
Mindy Kaling is Hou$e Poor
Mindy Kaling is a writer for and stars in NBC’s The Office, and she’s started a new web-only series called Hou$e Poor. The first episode (embedded below) premiered last month, and you can catch more episodes over on Strike.TV. It’s definitely funny and has a very Office feel to it. In fact, Kaling acts a hell of a lot like I imagine Michael would. Gee, you think she’s written a line or two for him in the past?
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