Things that didn’t suck this week – awkward moments, cursing and Keith Olbermann
amctv.com
“I could have had you in my life forever, if I wanted to.” Peggy tells Pete she’s not perfect on Mad Men
How awesome is Elisabeth Moss? When I’m watching Mad Men, I’m often distracted by the utter hotness of Jon Hamm as Don Draper, but damn, Peggy Olson is a great character. Along with her genteel ambition and mousy exterior, there’s a quiet desperation that runs under everything she says and does. It’s the yearning that I notice the most when I watch Moss play Peggy, but the scene in last Sunday’s season finale in which she finally tells Pete exactly what the result of their affair was, she reveals a strength that is pretty damn impressive.
Tonight on the tube: Obama, Obama, Obama and Al Sharpton
BarackObama.com
8:00p/7:00 Central
- Barack Obama has booked thirty minutes of air time on three major networks to bring his message directly to you. He’ll be simulcast on CBS, FOX and NBC. As for John McCain? He doesn’t have that kind of money!
- ABC, however, was wary to disrupt their low-rated lineup (for some reason–I guess they don’t want high ratings), so are forging ahead with a new Pushing Daisies. Tonight, Stephen Root guests as an old friend of Ned’s dad who wants his help to find the old man. Alternately, three models bathe together in Europe on The CW’s America’s Next Top Model, but I’m sure it’s not as hot as it sounds.
- FOX follows Obama then with the continuation of Monday’s World Series Game 5, suspended in the fifth tied at 2-2. The Phillies can wrap it up with a victory as they’re leading the series 3-1 right now. CBS follows it up with The New Adventures of Old Christine where Barb and Christine double-date, but only one date goes well.
- NBC sticks with their default schedule filler by giving us a 90-minute installment of Deal or No Deal after Obama’s special.
- The Discovery Channel’s Time Warp keeps on bringing you slo-mo fun, this week featuring tasers and crash-test dummies. MyNetwork TV throws up another new The Tony Rock Project.
Things that didn’t suck this week
CW
I’m sure it will come as no surprise that since I write about TV, I end up seeing a lot of it. Let’s face it, there’s a good amount of crap on the tube and I often find myself watching it and feeling myself getting dumber but unable to turn away. With that said, there’s also a lot of TV that makes me remember why I love it. Whether it’s funny, sweet, or hilariously stupid, these are the things that didn’t suck this week.
“I hate this stupid headband!” Serena and Blair finally throw down on Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is one of my guilty pleasures. It’s fun and silly and completely ridiculous. I can never keep track of whether or not Serena and Blair are friends or enemies. This week, they finally did what everyone saw coming: They made out. Okay, not really, but they had an awesome girl fight. It involved chucking a purse at Serena’s head, and it was amazing.
Will Bob Schieffer actually moderate a real debate?
CBS
Bob Schieffer is used to wrangling politicians as the moderator of CBS’s Face the Nation. So maybe he thinks that he has a better handle on what people who watch the presidential debates want to hear. It sure seems that way, as he’s determined to moderate a debate that’s actually informative and interesting; something that, mostly for format reasons, neither Jim Lehrer nor Tom Brokaw could provide.
He wants a “freewheeling” debate, he tells David Bianculli of Broadcasting & Cable. “They’ll each have two minutes to answer, then I’ll try to encourage them to question one another. I’m going to do my very best to keep them on track. And if they try and get off track, I’m not going to be bashful about saying, ‘Gentlemen, that was not the question,’” he says. The intimacy of the format, in which Schieffer will sit at a desk with Senators McCain and Obama, should lend itself to more conversation and less bloviation, and he will use that to his advantage. Heck, he cited that intimacy, among other things, to his CBS colleague Jeff Greenfield, who wrote about Schieffer’s methods at Slate.com.
But, let’s get real here; if Lehrer and Brokaw couldn’t get real answers out of the candidates, how is Schieffer going to do it?
Quotation Marks – Week of October 10, 2008
Everyone had something to say this week, from Michael Scott to Amy Poehler to Tom Bergeron, who has a sense of humor about his Emmy hosting gig:
“That’s why I host, because there are very few hosting injuries … unless you count the Emmys.” – Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
“In describing her beautiful home, Sarah Palin says that when she stands on her porch, she can see the moon. You know what that means — she’s now qualified to be an astronaut.” – Jay Leno, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
“Last night’s Presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain is being called flat, boring, and uninteresting. As a result, it’s been picked up as a fall series by NBC.” - Conan O’Brien, Late Night With Conan O’Brien
Sarah Palin may get her revenge on SNL
NBC
For the past several weeks, Tina Fey has helped lead SNL to a creative and ratings resurgence with her freakishly spot-on impression of VP hopeful, Sarah Palin. Now, according to reports, there is serious talk in the McCain camp of preparing a response. One possibility? Palin may appear on Saturday Night Live, not as herself, but as her doppelganger, Tina Fey.
Word is that Palin may be doing a spoof of Fey’s American Express commercial, either on the next new Saturday broadcast airing on October 18, or the on one of the new SNL Weekend Update Thursdays. Ordinarily, I’m all for politicians appearing as themselves; I thought it was great that John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all appeared on SNL during the primary season. However, I can’t muster the same excitement over a possible Palin appearance, probably since, unlike the other three, she’s just so damn unlikeable.
Tonight on the tube: Programming around the debate
AP/Dennis Cook
The debates tonight happen when they happen, which means they start at 9:00p Eastern and 6:00p Pacific. So depending on where you are, your times may vary as some of these programs shuffle around the debate. Check local listings and never trust anything I say! And don’t expect such an intimate encounter from the two candidates as this picture indicates.
7:00p/6:00 Central
- Tonight, on TLC’s Who Are You Wearing?, contestants vie for the chance to dress Holly Robinson Peete.
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