Archive for December, 2010
THE TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2010
Dec 31st
It’s that time of the year again – our chance to countdown the best of the 2010!
And while there was plenty of bad TV this year (much of it on E!) and several former favorites which disappointed (Glee, True Blood, American Idol), there was enough strong shows to prove once again we’re in a golden era of TV viewing…
Here’s my picks for 2010 – in no particular order!
MAD MEN: Hands down THE best TV show of the year was undoubtedly Mad Men, a show that’s pretty much TV perfection. I mean seriously, did the show even put a single foot wrong all season?
I’ve been a Mad Men fan from day one but I’d be the first to admit the first couple of seasons could be a tad slow at times. But since the sensational third season Mad Men hasn’t looked back. Season 4 offered us a new agency for a new era, the fall and rise of Don Draper, a triumphant and independent Peggy and a tragic Joan. Best episode of the series – undoubtedly The Suitcase – the Don / Peggy double-header which saw the duo fighting and bonding over the course of a single night. It’s why Emmys were More >
TODDLERS AND TIARAS: MAKENZIE IS BACK!
Dec 30th
Most networks are asleep at the wheel at the moment – but TLC does seem to be the rare exception this holiday season.
There was the final episode of Sarah Palin’s Alaska (CAN there even be a second season?), my current favorite competition show, The Next Great Baker – and last night saw the return of Toddlers and Tiaras, the bizarre beauty pageant show that features more fake hairpieces and nails than a season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race.
I don’t watch Toddlers on a regular basis, but I’ve certainly dipped in here and there. It’s one of those shows, like Bridezillas, that you can’t help but watch when channel surfing!
Last night’s premiere saw the return of Makenzie, the 4 year old diva with the seriously bad attitude (um, are any of these brats well behaved?) Check her out in action in the teaser below…
So did you watch Toddlers and Tiaras last night? Are you a fan of the show? And what do you think of the whole child pageant world?
HARRY POTTER LOSES HIS HEAD!
Dec 30th
It’s slim pickings on the US TV front this week – but thankfully business is back to normal next week.
But in the meantime British TV network have been pulling out all the stops to pull in the ratings over the festive period (Christmas and New Years viewing in the UK normally pulls in record ratings. Over here Univision is beating the broadcast networks!!!)
And here’s a clip that everyone is going to be sharing today. It’s from QI, a very cerebral quiz show hosted by dry Brit wit Stephen Fry. For this year’s holiday special, Stephen is joined by camp TV host Graham Norton (who had a show on We in 2009 which lasted about as long as this video!) and Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe – who for me just keeps getting more likable every year.
It’s a silly skit but basically Graham beheads Daniel live on air… leaving the denouement until the final seconds of the show.
Check it out around the 10.30 mark below… and watch how quickly it goes viral today!
UNITED STATE OF POP 2010: DON’T STOP THE POP
Dec 29th
Yep, I know the headline above is kind of gibberish!
It’s that time of the year again where famed mixer DJ Earworm provides us with a musical and visual montage of the year in music. So check out a mash up of Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Usher, Enrique Iglesias and many more…
We don’t normally cover music here at Remote Patrolled, but since these videos have been playing in heavy rotation on your screens for the last few months we figured it made sense. Though I’ll be perfectly happy never to see those Katy Perry videos again.
Personally I don’t think this mix is a patch on last year’s effort (see below) which flowed brilliantly… but what do you think? A good mix – or a bit of a mess? And what are your favorite – and least favorite – singles of the year?
FIRST LOOK: FALLING SKIES
Dec 28th
Am I the only one a little bored by alien invasion stories these days?
Between TV shows like V and countless Hollywood movies (from Independence Day and War of the Worlds to the recent Skyline to next summer’s Cowboys and Aliens) the idea of malevolent UFO’s and extra-terrestrials just doesn’t feel so fresh anymore.
And now, next summer brings another version to the mix. Here’s Falling Skies, TNT’s alien epic starring Noah Wyle and produced by Steven Spielberg (who’ll seemingly put his name to ANYTHING these days!)
I really wanted to like this show but I have to be honest it looks kind of lame, like a bad Syfy channel movie with cheesy aliens, gun toting resistance members and the inevitable foreboding alien ships. Plus I think V has covered much of this ground already – and look what happened there!
But this is cable. The ratings can afford to be lower, and frankly the kind of ratings V was getting at the end of its spring run would probably be perfectly acceptable to TNT. But I don’t think we’re seeing the next True Blood / Walking Dead style TV phenomenon here unless I’m really missing something…
What do you think? Are you excited for the show? More >
FIRST LOOK: THE KILLING
Dec 27th
2010 turned out to be a pretty big deal for AMC, as the formerly niche network continued to remodel itself as THE home for quality storytelling.
The Walking Dead brought in the ratings – peaking at the 6 million mark – while Mad Men continued to prove itself the smartest and most sophisticated show currently on our screens. Plus the network scored a critical hit with Rubicon, which even though it’s now been canceled, certainly added to the channel’s glowing reputation.
So next up AMC brings us The Killing, a murder mystery launching in March – and here’s the first look…
The show’s based on a 2010 Danish series called The Crime and revolves around the murder of a young girl called Rosie Larsen. Each of the 13 episodes follows a different day in the investigation, and three stories connected to the homicide. Looks to me like Twin Peaks without the kookiness!
Best news of all – the show brings Michelle Forbes back to our screens – aka Maryann from the second season of True Blood. I loved Michelle in the vampire saga (and she was also great in Season 2 of 24)… plus look out for Billy Campbell in there too (who’ll always be More >
WHEN TV GOES WRONG: MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP
Dec 27th
Did you see Million Dollar Money Drop in the week before Christmas?
Chances are you didn’t – the new Fox game show pulled in around 5 million viewers a night and less than a 2.0 18-49 share each evening. But there may be a slight glimmer of hope for the show – Fox screwed up one of the questions big time – and now the resultant controversy might put the series on the map. Kinda lucky – and convenient – don’t you think?
But enough with my cynicism! I actually checked out the episode in question a few days ago and really liked Money Drop. I’d seen and posted clips from the original UK series already on Remote Patrolled and thought the show’s concept was really good – and very dramatic. The visual of seeing money being jettisoned down a giant chute is a great show device and exactly the kind of thrill ABC’s dreadful ‘Downfall’ was aiming for over the summer. But I also have to say – Money Drop is a darn tough show to win money on. Seriously I’m not surprised hardly anyone won money on the UK original…!
Anyway in the US episode in question over-excited contestants Gabe Okoye and More >
10 GREAT TV MOMENTS OF 2010
Dec 24th
It’s that time of the year again where we all start looking back at the last 12 months – and we’re no exception here at Remote Patrolled.
Next week I’ll present my Top 10 TV Shows of 2010 – but first here’s 10 Great TV Moments Of 2010. It was a hard list to narrow down and we had to leave a lot off the list (The View versus Sharron Angle, True Blood’s gay kiss). But I think what remains is a good mix of drama, tears and wow moments…
Here at Remote Patrolled we’re going to be taking a short break until Monday to enjoy the holidays – just like our sister sites Good Enough Mother and Angry Trainer Fitness. It really has been a very full on few months so we definitely need a little time away.
But don’t worry we’ll be back before you know it to bring you all the latest TV goodness.
As always, thanks for reading… and enjoy!
COOL CLIP: A VERY KE$HA CHRISTMAS
Dec 24th
We do like to poke fun of Ke$ha here at Remote Patrolled – but really she’s the gift that keeps on giving!
For me Ke$ha says a lot about the state of music today. She has dubious vocals (as most of her live performances prove), doesn’t really stand for anything and doesn’t seem to care much about being an artist – it’s all about the partying! How appropriate for these reality TV times.
That said I’m a sucker for a good pop song and I think Ke$ha has turned out some corkers – from Tik Tok to Your Love Is My Drug to We R Who We R – they’re all on my ipod (along with many other shameful songs!)
And it seems I’m not the only one who loves to engage in a little Ke$ha bashing… check out this great clip from the College Humor gang which imagines what a Ke$ha Christmas song would sound like (it’s actually the latest in a series of pop parodies they’ve run on the star)
For me the clip is clever, funny and has some great one liners – I especially liked, ‘right up the chimney all the snow goes!’
Check out the video below – and send over your More >
TAKE THE POLL: THE TOP TV SHOW OF 2010
Dec 23rd
Hi everyone!
It’s poll time again… earlier in the month we asked you to name the LEAST funny comedy on TV – and you certainly didn’t hold back! The ‘winning’ show was Two And A Half Men, CBS long running crapfest, which attracted 24.24% of the vote. Close behind was S#*! My Dad Says (another CBS clunker) with 17.32%...
So now it’s time for our new Poll – and since it’s the end of the year we want you to name your FAVORITE TV show of 2010. I’ll be giving you my list later – but in the meantime I’d love to hear what kept you glued to your screens in 2010. Here’s a list of some of the most critically acclaimed shows of the year (apologies for any we’ve had to leave off – but you can always comment below!)
