Monday, August 10, 2009
Hey, Watch It! - Monday's TV Picks
Back in March, local blogs were abuzz with the news that Anthony Bourdain was taking a tour of San Francisco eateries, with his "No Reservations" crew in tow. Tonight that episode finally airs, and if the following clip is any indication, it looks like Mr. Bourdain came to our fair City with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Of course, if a mere farmer's market tamale--not to mention several freebies--is enough to break through his hardened, cynical exterior, I'll say by show's end, he'll be eating from the palms of our hands. Literally. 7 P.M. and 10 P.M. on the Travel Channel.
| Aug 10 at 12:00 PM
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Hey, Watch It! - Sunday's TV Picks
This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Manson murders in Los Angeles. I was hoping for an airing of Helter Skelter somewhere on the dial, but it doesn't look like any TV programmer is on-the-ball enough to give us that. The best I could find are two shows on MSNBC, that bastion of true crime and bad taste. First up is "The Mind of Manson" at 4 P.M. It's followed by "Will You Follow Me: Charles Manson and His Followers" at 5 P.M.
On a lighter note, Joan Rivers will be ripped to shreds--metaphorically speaking--during "The Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers" at 10 P.M. on Comedy Central.
| Roast of Joan Rivers | Sun, Aug 9 10pm / 9c | |||
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| Aug 09 at 12:00 PM
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Hey, Watch It! - Saturday's TV Picks
Think giant bug movies are a remnant of the 1950s? Think again! Syfy (sifi!), the network that brought us such classics as Mansquito and Kaw, are back with Infestation, a buggy apocalypse flick, with zombies!
I know I rag on some of the crappy movies the network has a tendency to air, but I have to admit, this one looks like a lot of fun. 9 P.M. on Syfy.
| Aug 08 at 12:00 PM
Friday, August 07, 2009
Tenacious D to step in for Beastie Boys at Outside Lands
AP Photo/New Line
Jack Black's rock duo Tenacious D will replace the Beastie Boys on the bill for the upcoming Outside Lands festival.
The San Francisco event was one of many the Beastie Boys were forced to scrap after rapper Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer last month.
Black staged a press conference to announce Tenacious D's Outside Lands appearance and said, "The Beastie Boys are good friends of ours."
He joked he and partner Kyle Gass were the perfect replacements for the trio because "we've been working hard on our hip-hop. Our next album is entirely rap and hip-hop with a sprinkle of maraca."
Outside Lands takes place at August 28-30 in Golden Gate Park, and features Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band, Black Eyed Peas, M.I.A. and Modest Mouse. (WENN)
| Aug 07 at 01:03 PM
Hey, Watch It! - Friday's TV Picks
"Monk," the series that insists it's set in San Francisco, though not in any San Francisco I've ever seen outside of Los Angeles, premieres its eighth, and final, season at 9 P.M. on USA.
It's followed by the season premiere of that other comedic detective series,"Psych." Just don't call it "The Mentalist." 10 P.M. on USA.
And on the Food Network, local chef Chris Cosentino, of Incanto, joins Aaron Sanchez in the new series "Chef Vs. City." The concept seems to match the concept of several other Food Network and Travel Channel shows: Go to a new place, and eat some crazy foods. But perhaps these foods, places, and chefs are even crazier. 10 P.M.
| Aug 07 at 12:00 PM
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Hey, Watch It! - Thursday's TV Picks
The season summer finale of "Burn Notice" is tonight, which means the end of summer is nigh. But fret not: the show has been renewed, even if a return date hasn't been set. More episodes are said to air this winter, with the fourth season coming in the summer of 2010. Frankly, I wish they'd just keep this as a summer show, and air the entire season now. Watching Michael, Fiona, and Sam during the gloomy nights of winter just doesn't feel right. 9 P.M. on USA.
The third season of the British series "Skins" premieres on BBC America at 9 P.M., but it might look a little different: most of the characters are new, with the exceptions of Effy and Pandora. But while the faces may have changed, the behavior is just as R-rated as ever. If you're the parent of a teenager, I'd advise NOT watching. It could cause cardiac arrest.
Finally, the winner of "So You Think You Can Dance" will be crowned tonight. Of the two men, I think Brandon is miles above Evan in skill and range. But I'm torn on the women. I like Jeanine the best, but I think when it comes to acting and dance, Kayla has her beat.
Here's one of my fave routines on the season. The finale starts at 8 P.M. on Fox.
| Aug 06 at 12:00 PM
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Brassica Supperclub: It's like vegging out on the lam...
My dear friend and editor, Zoe decided to become a vegan some years ago for the sake of a magazine article she was writing. I found the entire thing abhorrent and counted the seconds until her six-month experiment was over. But six months turned into a year and then another year until finally, I came to accept that my friend Zoe is officially a vegan.
No meat, no dairy, no food or drink that any precious creature might have suffered for.
"You're nuts!" I'd scream, diving into a pot of duck-liver mousse. "How on Earth can you live like this?"
In celebration of Zoe's recent birthday, I told her to pick any restaurant in town. "You sure?" She asked me. "Because I'm happy to go anywhere, but there's this vegan supperclub that sounds fun. It'll be an adventure!"
I'm always up for adventure, if for no other reason than I'll have something to tell you fine people. Zoe sent me a link to something called Brassica Supperclub: An Underground Dining Experience and a list of dates she was available.
As far as I knew, we were going to a vegan restaurant with things like nut pizza. So you can imagine my confusion when I called the Brassica Supperclub phone number and woke someone up. The groggy voice on the other end of the line was just as confused as I was, grumbling, "Wha? Dinner? Who is this?!?!"
You know, they don't do this at Gary Danko.
I returned to the Web site and found an email address and the note, "Please provide your preferred date, number in your party, and contact information. We will get back to you shortly with a confirmation and the event location."
Event location? What the hell is going on? Read More »
| Aug 05 at 12:05 PM
Hey, Watch It! - Wednesday's TV Picks
If you watch TV Land, you may have noticed new ads espousing the notion that change is good. They want to convince you of this because apparently, they are gradually changing into yet another channel filled with reality TV shows.
Like tonight's two new premieres!
First up is the Joan Rivers's hosted "How'd You Get So Rich?" Apparently her stint on "The Celebrity Apprentice" has led to a (bigger) fascination with money, and on this show she'll try to learn the secret of success from such people as the guy who invented the Slanket, and more importantly, find out how they spend their money. 10 P.M.
It's followed by "Make My Day" which is lot like a "Candid Camera" type show, but instead of humiliating the unsuspecting, the unsuspecting find themselves in dream situations (i.e. meeting their favorite celebrity, or "finding" tickets to see their favorite band) all for the entertainment of TV Land audiences who are probably just pissed they aren't watching a rerun of "The Brady Bunch" instead. 10:30 P.M.
| Aug 05 at 12:00 PM
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Hey, Watch It! - Tuesday's TV Picks
The previews for the season finale of "Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" are strongly implying that mean old grandma Candy Spelling will be making an appearance at her granddaughter Stella's first birthday party. Those who read the tabloids already know what happened, so I won't spoil it for those who are above glancing at InTouch Weekly at the checkout counter. And don't subscribe to Perez Hilton's RSS feed. And don't have a Google news alert set for the words "Candy+Tori+Spelling." (Who are you people?) 10 P.M. on Oxygen.
Following the finale is the premiere of the new reality series "Addicted to Beauty," which takes place at a "medi-spa" in Southern California. Alas, the series looks about as "real" as most of the faces on the staff. 11 P.M. on Oxygen.
| Aug 04 at 12:00 PM
Monday, August 03, 2009
Hey, Watch It! - Monday's TV Picks
I have absolutely no idea what's going on in the world of "One Life to Live"---the only soap I watched religiously was "The Young and the Restless," and that was many years ago--but apparently whatever is going on includes room for a tribute and take-off of the masterpiece Grey Gardens today. And who doesn't love a good Little Edie impersonation every now and then? 1 P.M. on ABC.
As if there weren't enough TV shows devoted to forensic science on the air, (either we're creating a nation of amateur forensic sleuths, or just teaching the nation's criminals how to avoid getting caught), the new series "Forensics: You Decide" joins the deluge. The show follows the defense and prosecution sides of criminal cases, showing how both use forensics to build their cases. Alas, the "You Decide" aspect of the title does not involve any actual power to condemn or acquit. You'll have to wait until your next jury duty call for that. 10 P.M. on Investigation Discovery.
| Aug 03 at 11:00 AM
