I’m not a betting lady myself (too few pennies to go risking them), but for those of you who like a flutter, the Emmys could be worth a few bob. So if you would like the chance to exercise your superior television knowledge and perhaps make some money, here are some of the odds being offered on the American awards ceremony by Bet365.
Warning: If you lose out and have to hand over your house to debtors, sell your children into slavery and get a job cleaning the poles at a strip club – please don’t blame me. This is only meant as a bit of fun and in no way endorses people to hand their lives over to an all-consuming gambling problem. On the other hand, if you make some serious money taking a punt – just remember who tipped you off, eh?
Hollywood seems to love the graphic horror genre known as ‘gore porn’ or more succinctly, ‘gorn’ at the moment. With endless movies featuring gruesome torture and murder (see the Saw movies – or if you have any sense – don’t) littering cinemas, Christopher Moltisanti is clearly on to a winner with his new mafia/ slasher flick Cleaver. Having been his pet project for a while now, Tony’s protégé finally got to unveil his work at the film’s premiere.
Carmela was upset with what she saw onscreen: a chubby mob boss with a taste for white bathrobes and ordering his crew from his basement. Mmm – sound like Tony? Her mood worsened when the cinematic Tony, as played by Daniel Baldwin in the absence of Sir Ben Kingsley, got it on with his minion’s fiancé. Was this scene a direct reference to Tony and Adriana? Carmela certainly thought so, and her suspicions were further aroused when the boss was killed by his subordinate, depicting what she labelled Chris’s ‘revenge fantasy.’
Every Friday, I look through the listings to pick out the cream of the weekend viewing. Today is Friday. Let’s have a look at the cream of the weeke… oh you get the picture already.
Friday – My Name Is Earl, Channel, 10.35pm
Back in its rightful place of Friday night, My Name is Earl continues to be a rarity in modern TV… namely, something that is generally liked by everyone on the planet. Witty, warm, funny, touching, intelligent… Earl is one of the best comedies ever shown on the box. Great scripts and stellar performances from Ethan Suplee and Jason Lee make this a very rewarding viewing experience indeed. Tonight, we see Earl on the hunt for treasure in a classic whodunnit? That’s not to say there’s a bit of parody afoot. Essential.
The Emmys are coming later this month, but E! the entertainment channel has already handed out their honours to celebrate the best in today’s TV. The Tater Top Awards are voted for by the public and so are happily absent any nauseating industry back-slapping. The awards being American means that none of our top shows are present, but they do provide an interesting insight into what US audiences enjoy, and when we get most of their best stuff imported anyway – who’s complaining?
Plot spoiler warning: You might want to look away if you have not yet seen the most recent seasons of any of these shows: Lost, Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, The Sopranos, The Office, Veronica Mars, The Gilmour Girls, Battlestar Galactica. There are explicit details revealed and we would hate to ruin any future story-lines for you.
In my younger years, Sunday evenings were all about packing your bag for school the next day and having a bath. Now thankfully with no school bag to pack and without my parents to nag me to wash behind my ears, Sunday evenings have come to adopt an entirely new meaning: that of great TV. Dexter on FX, Weeds on Sky One and last night came the cherry on top – the first of the final nine episodes of The Sopranos on E4.
Last night’s instalment took us back to 2004 and the season five finale when a meeting between Tony and Johnny Sack was interrupted by the Feds. Oblivious to the police assault, Johnny Sack was arrested but Tony made a run for it, discarding his gun in the snow in the process. This fateful fire-arm was found by a local teenage boy who back in the present day has blabbed to police authorities on the gun’s origins. With some potential dirt on Tony, the Essex County authorities came knocking rather loudly on his door before cuffing him and taking him back to the station. But where were the FBI and will this long-forgotten act be enough to take down the great Tony Soprano?
At the Scoop we’re getting quite excited at the second part of season six of the Sopranos starting on Sunday night. It’ll clash with Dexter – but hey, that’s what Sky Plus is for. So to help set the mood, here are The Simpsons spoofing the iconic opening credits of the mobster drama. There are loads of these spoofs cluttering YouTube, but as always the yellow inhabitants of Springfield do it best. Enjoy!
Only nine episodes left and so many questions remain. For fans that have stuck with the drama since Tony first met with Dr. Melfi, these last instalments are the final pieces to the jigsaw. But do we think that creator David Chase will help us with any answers or is The Sopranos going to keep us guessing? For those of us looking for some degree of closure, we hope the following issues might be addressed. Here are TV Scoop’s top ten burning questions.
10. Will Bobby Bacala be made a ‘capo’?
Tony’s sister Janice is a woman operating in man’s world and she certainly has the skills of manipulation and cruelty required. Now married to lovable loser Bobby Bacala she is desperate for her hubby to earn the power and prestige she thinks he deserves. Has he got what it takes? Obviously not, but whether he’ll get the promotion Janice is angling for is another matter.
I know that the final episodes were aired in the US a few months back but I have resolutely sought to stay in the dark. With many shows the odd plot spoiler is welcome, even invited in for a cup of tea and a bit of a chat, but The Sopranos is different. The mobster drama is a league above virtually everything else on TV and therefore these last few hours in its presence should be cherished and kept sacred.
For those of you foreign to the world of Tony Soprano, the Bada Bing club and polyester leisure wear, I fear it might be too late. Jumping in now will leave you confused and bewildered – who’s he? What’s she doing? And what’s a goomah? Best get yourself the DVD box-sets, skive a few days off work and give yourself a much needed education. For the rest of us already in love with the HBO drama, the end of the show brings with it mixed emotions.
Who would you say has been your favourite Big Brother contestant over the years? Give yourself a minute, there’s no need to rush. The Channel 4 popularity contest seems to have dominated summer broadcasting since the dawn of time (or 2000) and now as a retrospective The Radio Times Online has conducted a poll into the most well-liked of the former housemates.
Coming out on top was season two winner Brian Dowling though the biggest shock was Jade Goody snatching the second spot. Is this because she is the only one people remember? Do people think she has suffered enough for her bullying treatment of Shilpa Shetty on the recent celebrity version and want to show their forgiveness? Or does the blonde Essex girl simply charm the nation in ways unknown?
Like some horrendous TV baton being passed from one relay to the next, last night, after spending too long circling in the air (I was on a plane you understand – I’m not superhuman), I was greeted with the next generation of TV Madeleys. On Big Brother‘s Big Mouth (E4, Every week night, 10pm) I was faced with the fruits of the loins that belong to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan. I’m sorry if you’ve just yelped up a bilious corn-flake when thinking of those two at it.
Anyway, the proof and puddings of the combined Madeley groin stepped up to host the E4 entertainment vessel once presented by Russel Brand (*spit*). How did they do? Did I do anything other than compare them to their parents? And most of all, is BBBM any good?
TV show merchandise often includes t-shirts and coffee mugs, maybe even the odd board game. Not so The Sopranos. Fans of the mobster drama can get their greedy mitts on props from the show courtesy of auction site eBay. Now before you start counting your pennies and riffling down the back of the sofa for any stray coppers, be warned – these aren’t just any old on-set knick-knacks, but the stripper poles from the Bada Bing. Still interested?
With the show now finished in the States (and starting soon on E4 – yeay!), the owners of the Satin Dolls (the club’s real name) are looking to renovate and what better way to pocket some spare cash than by selling off the items to fans of the show? Along with the 12-foot poles, other available goodies include a disco ball, at least ten bar stools as lounged on by the show’s stars, a pool table, a part of the bar where the characters drank and a men’s room sign.
The Law of the Playground (E4, Thursday, 9.30pm) is a journey back through borrowed nostalgia with a bunch of comedians… some telling the truth, others making things up. We get to hark at what we all used to get up to in the playground – the strange games, the nicknames, the systematic bullying of the weakest member of your mates, the taunts and such, that were a regular part of school breaks and playtimes.
The series is inspired by book and website, The Law Of The Playground by Jonathan Blyth, and the show features comedians reminiscing about their schooldays. Taking us through the various sex myths, doing a Jimmy Hill, and smelling cheese, were Vic Reeves, Frankie Boyle, David Mitchell, Deborah Stephenson and a load of other hapless new comics who were quite obviously bullied at school.
Jimi Mistry is returning to TV to join new teenage show The Cut. This offering from E4 follows the dramatic ups and downs of life at a London stage school for four young, aspring performers, and will see Mistry star as a music teacher (though presumably with less facial hair than Mr. Shorofsky from Fame.) Mistry is probably best known to mums and dads as Dr. Fred Fonseca in Eastenders, while younger, hipper things will recognise him from East Is East, the Guru and Blood Diamond.
The Hit might not air until November, (when hopefully Big Brother might have ended) but already a source from the production company, Kudos, is sweaty-handed with excitement: “It’s completely different from Skins. In The Cut the kids are in a highly competitive, dog-eat-dog environment where they’ll do anything to succeed and get ahead of their peers. And they’re all drop-dead gorgeous!” Of course they are, isn’t everyone?
When looking through the TV listings, I feel like I’m stuck in Groundhog Day. The current scheduling is so uninspired and repetitive (when is Big Brother going to end and give us back Channel 4?) I know that Mof has mused on the lack of choice currently afforded us by TV (see here), but I wondered if, rather than it be considered a general problem, it could be analysed further. Is it just the same kind of programming clogging up our airwaves, or is it in fact, the same programmes?
There seem to be some shows that have been on TV forever and others that never seem to go away for long. I’m not talking about those that are acknowledged mainstays like soaps, but those that never let-up, are always on when you don’t want them to be and are TV equivalents to stalkers. Out of the 24 shows listed as the longest-running in their various genres (music, sitcom, current affairs, etc.) on Wikipedia, half of them are from the UK. Is this because we have a long tradition of quality programming or a lack of imagination and no balls to shake things up?
TV, of late, has become a bit of a bore. Instead of getting giddy whilst looking through the listings, I find myself aimlessly ambling up to the TV set, and then flicking for hours and hours without ever really watching anything. At first, I thought it was my job that had ruined it. I mean, you can’t just watch a show and enjoy it. You have to analyse it and take mental notes. That said, I’d do that even if I didn’t write for TVScoop. It’s habit. It’s what I do. So what is it? Has TV sunk into a lull? Has it all gone a bit crap?
Well, with the news that ITV1s Tycoon got a frankly terrible ratings low of 1.3 million viewers last night, as well as the other channels only faring slightly better (with Big Brother doing the best with a far from impressive 3.1 million viewers), it got me thinking. Maybe it’s not just me…
Big Brother is in full swing. There have been tears, fighting, snogging (and some), laughs… and people sitting around bored. Big Brother 8 has been unusual in that, this year more than ever, the housemates have all been very aware of the fact that they’re on TV. Previous years have seen housemates slowly forget, and thus, eased up and shown us their real selves. However, the fronts haven’t been dropped on BB8 as everyone is still hamming it up and keeping one eye on their ‘public profile’.
With that, have our opinions changed at all since week1? Of course, some opinions are firmly steadfast. “Big Brother is tosh and I’ll have nothing to do with it”. Fair enough, but for those who have watched it? It seems like years ago when the house kicked off with a girls only house, an Ziggy started the drip feed of testosterone. The best way to see how I’ve changed is by looking back at the live blog I did on the very first showing of BB8…
It’s back to Smallville on Sunday night, with the opening of season 6 of the comic book capers. With Clark trapped in a Kryptonian jail, Metropolis endures city riots and life there is looking pretty bleak. General Zod is making himself at home in Lex’s body, with evil plans involving Lana and an heir – ick! But never fear, as Chloe and Lionel are on the case. For a wee small taster, the YouTube trailer below might not be the E4 trailer but is enough to whet appetites hungry for a bit of Clark Kent action.
If you can bear to be near the odious cast of E4’s Skins, then you’ll no doubt be jumping about like fools at the thought of going to a filming of a secret Skins party. The special one-off of Skins is to be the first programme to be broadcast exclusively on MySpace.
This is the first time a TV programme will be filmed exclusively for MySpace and will be broadcast from the Skins MySpace profile at www.myspace.com/e4skins on Friday 17th August. What’s more, if you’re a virtual friend on the Skins profile, of which their are over 55,000 shameless morons, you’ll have the chance to be part of this one-off filming event and get to party with Sid, Chris, Michelle and the rest of the cast afterwards.
It’s very easy for me to say that I like Scrubs a lot (I do, I think it’s one of the most undervalued and underrated sitcoms on the telly), but I’m not going to be hypocritical and start campaigning for its continuation. The plain fact of the matter is that I just don’t watch it any more (mainly because C4 has quietly relegated it to E4, and I just can’t be arsed hunting for it in the schedules). Let’s face it, if I loved it that much I would have searched for it, watched it and cried when I heard that the next series is to be the last.
Creator Bill Lawrence has been talking about the final series and answered some questions about what may or may not happen. He joked that the only way the final series wouldn’t be a final series was, “If we finally become a huge mainstream hit.” Judging by falling ratings and schedule changes galore on NBC in the US, this is, sadly, very unlikely. Read the full story here on NJ.com.
Is TV the biggest lie producing machine in history? Of course it is. That’s what it’s there for. TV never reflected reality by virtue of the fact that is was all a bit too real. We can all recall a great TV fib… spaghetti trees, fake haunted houses with a mock spooked Sarah Green… but now, things have changed. Once, TV was unabashed about the lies it told. We could trust that any lies were for our benefit and required a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. TV has taken away the trust and taken a sinister turn.
It seems that, at the moment, you can’t move for TV scandals. Some are more worrying than others. Some sneaky editing has left The Queen looking like a pilchard, more editing suite fun left us under the impression that Gordon Ramsay is quite the fisherman.These to me are old fashioned lies. Editing something quite dull into something slightly less dull. However, apart from the creative edit, TV shows have been lying to us whilst dipping a hand into our pockets.
Every Friday, I look through the listings to pick out the cream of the weekend viewing. Today is Friday. Let’s have a look at the cream of the weeke… oh you get the picture already.
Like some horrendous TV baton being passed from one relay to the next, last night, after spending too long circling in the air (I was on a plane you understand – I’m not superhuman), I was greeted with the next generation of TV Madeleys. On 
The Law of the Playground (
TV, of late, has become a bit of a bore. Instead of getting giddy whilst looking through the listings, I find myself aimlessly ambling up to the TV set, and then flicking for hours and hours without ever really watching anything. At first, I thought it was my job that had ruined it. I mean, you can’t just watch a show and enjoy it. You have to analyse it and take mental notes. That said, I’d do that even if I didn’t write for TVScoop. It’s habit. It’s what I do. So what is it? Has TV sunk into a lull? Has it all gone a bit crap?
If you can bear to be near the odious cast of 
Is TV the biggest lie producing machine in history? Of course it is. That’s what it’s there for. TV never reflected reality by virtue of the fact that is was all a bit too real. We can all recall a great TV fib… spaghetti trees, fake haunted houses with a mock spooked Sarah Green… but now, things have changed. Once, TV was unabashed about the lies it told. We could trust that any lies were for our benefit and required a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. TV has taken away the trust and taken a sinister turn.
From:Coronation Street fans apply here