CliqueClack

Liz Chan’s pursuit to make her Christmas song world famous … this fall

During the time I was editor for TV Squad and we were reporting to AOL TV, there were a few AOL editors I worked with. Though I never met then-editor Elizabeth Chan in person, we participated in the weekly team calls together and frequently worked on — or maybe it was squabbled about — content shared between AOL TV and TV Squad. Possible squabbling aside, we exchanged Facebook followings, where I’d see her updated on what she was up to from time to time.

Some months ago, Liz had an update in her timeline that I honestly thought was a joke. In it, she shared a link to a new website she’d created, which centered on only one thing: her very serious desire to create a world famous Christmas song. Out of all the great ambitions of the world, I thought, could someone really have one that specific and … well, unusually unique. As it turns out, it was no joke; far from it, in fact.

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Seven reasons I watch HIMYM for more than the mother mystery

I know it is hard to believe, but there’s more to How I Met Your Mother than the reveal of the titular mother. Ted’s story to his children has framed HIMYM for going on eight years now, and for many fans meeting the mother is the main reason they watch the show. While I’ve gotten irritated with showrunners Carter Bays and Craig Thomas in the past, it’s primarily been because of how they personally hinted that a particular season or episode would further the story along, only for nothing to happen.

In the eighth season premier “Farhampton,” fans get another glimpse of Ted’s future wife, but a familiar yellow umbrella obstructed her face. I doubt that was enough for fans who desperately want to meet the mother, but I was content with the way the episode ended. To me, there are seven reasons that I watch the show that don’t involve the mother of Ted’s children:

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How successful are new shows at surviving?

A couple of weeks ago, I submitted my entry for the Annual Ted Marshall Open Television Death Pool. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s a competition to see who can best predict the shows most likely to get cancelled in the upcoming television year. This is my first year participating, but I like my chances.

This time of year, as the new fall shows get ready to premiere, I often think back to a conversation that Brett and I had years ago. He’s long been the ratings guru at CliqueClack, and I’ve been trying to pick up some pointers from him for quite some time. In this particular case, we were wondering how the hell it is that TV executive keep their jobs. Most times, when fans make this particular statement, it is because someone somewhere had cancelled their beloved – yet underperforming – show. But Brett and I were looking at something different: how often new shows fail to see a second season.

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Three return to Survivor, but have they learned from the past?

It’s hard to believe that the 25th edition of Survivor started this week. That’s a long run for any series — and remember, this translates to 12 years — particularly a reality competition show, and while the ratings aren’t what they were back in the day, the show still dominates its time period (it actually beat Fox’s The X Factor in its premiere outing, which must cause that network some concern).

While I’m still a fan of the show, and haven’t missed a season since its debut in the summer of 2000 (and I don’t know why CBS just doesn’t play Survivor in one half of the season and The Amazing Race in the other instead of rushing two back-to-back seasons into production, thus diminishing the quality of the shows and the people selected to play), it’s been quite obvious for several years now that they’ve really run out of ideas and have had to resort to stunt casting, recycled challenges, over-the-top (i.e. crazy) people, and creative editing to make something exciting out of the season. That even extends to the “On the next episode of Survivor” previews — remember the “Hurricane Na’Onka” teaser that promised a total meltdown and it was nothing more than her being mildly irritated? It’s this kind of thing that has taken the shine off of what can be an interesting show, but the obvious editing choices at times (storylines are created and then dropped, or some decision comes out of the blue because we’ve not been allowed to see the important moments that led up to that … at least with Big Brother, you have 24-hour access via the live stream, so you know what’s happening even when the TV edit doesn’t quite mesh with those events), and the fact that the producers, including Jeff Probst, now have to rely on returning players each season, just shows that maybe it’s time for them to take a little breather, a short hiatus, and then come back with a stronger format that gives us a game with people who really want to play (not cast for their looks and personality), and not those who have already played. Like this season’s three returning players.

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American Horror Story, Desperate Housewives and more on home video September 25

One of last year’s best and most Emmy nominated TV series comes to home video this week: American Horror Story. If you missed the first season, this is a must-see before season two begins in October (even though the seasons are all self-contained). Marvel at Jessica Lange’s Golden Globe winning performance (and Emmy nominated as well) as the creepy, Southern Gothic neighbor who knows more about the Murder House than she lets on. It’s one of the best performances of the year, and her final soliloquy is proof that she deserves every award she’s earned for the role thus far. And Lange will be back for season two playing a completely different character, so I’m sure she will be just as amazing. The final season (and a complete series box set) of Desperate Housewives is also coming, along with returning series such as Gossip Girl, Family Guy, and CSI. Have a look at our handy guide for a complete list of TV shows on DVD and Blu-ray coming on September 25, and click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase through Amazon.com. You’ll get a great deal, and you’ll be showing your support of CliqueClack at the same time. We thank you!

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The Avengers and James Bond dominate this week’s video releases

There are several new titles hitting DVD and Blu-ray on September 25th, and quite a few interesting catalog titles will be arriving as well … unfortunately, they’re all going to get lost in the dust left behind by Marvel’s The Avengers and the 50th anniversary James Bond collection which contains all of the Bond movies from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace (as well as a ton of extras). Smaller films like The Tall Man and The Samaritan will certainly go unnoticed, while older titles seeing Blu-ray releases for the first time — The American President, Dave, Arachnophobia — will barely register a blip. One title that does deserve to get noticed is the Criterion Collection release of the classic black comedy Eating Raoul. How can you beat a movie about an uptight married couple who devise a way to rid themselves of their perverted neighbors, and find a way to open up the restaurant of their dreams? It’s black comedy at it’s darkest, and funniest, even if it may not be to everyone’s … taste. To learn more about these movies and the other releases this week, have a look at our handy guide and simply click on the appropriate link for information or to make a purchase.

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This is what happens when the Doctor travels alone

I didn’t have very much to say about “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” last week except for minor things like the guest stars were fun and that I wondered how Nefertiti would be able to talk to the hunter after the Tardis left. All in all though, it was a strong episode and a good sign for the rest of the season. There was one other thing that struck me about the episode — the Doctor didn’t save Solomon. He had the chance to (the dirty old man even begged him to) but the Doctor chose to leave him to be killed in the explosion. I saw some comments after the episode that this seemed too apathetic for the Doctor’s character, but I had a feeling this was a very deliberate choice by the writers. That was confirmed in this week’s episode. Continue reading 'This is what happens when the Doctor travels alone' »

CliqueClack Hungry Trolls podcast – Episode 2

Friend, contributor and comedian Jay Black is switching things up a bit with the new site and is bringing his Hungry Trolls podcast here, to a new home on CliqueClack. Jay joins friend and comedian Vinnie Nardiello in what he tells me will be a twice-a-week deal!

Make sure you tune in and make your friends tune in as well, and comment and rate us on our iTunes page! We’re also on Stitcher!

Please keep the comments coming and let us know what you think. Got suggestions? Questions? We’d love to hear ‘em! Make sure you get everyone you know to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (and rate us, please!) or via some other feed — we feed Jay’s ego a careful diet of traffic numbers and subscriber count, so let’s not let that sucker die of starvation. You can also check-in via GetGlue!

Thanks for listening!

Does The X Factor really need a host?

As I sat down to watch my three DVRed episodes of The X Factor yesterday, I noticed that there was no host for these past few episodes. I’d known Steve Jones was removed, and I like that decision because I though he was pretty robotic. I’ve heard rumors floating around about new hosts (Kardashian? ugh) as well as Mario Lopez (who I quite liked when he hosted America’s Best Dance Crew – although he’ll always be Slater to me).

But I actually liked the “no host approach” to these auditions. It felt a little more like a narrative without the annoying voiceover repeating things that have already been said, and there is less wasted time with the host onstage — meaningless banter, unnecessary announcements, repetitive interviews with contestants, and grating personalities.

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Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Harold Perrineau take to the web with new WIGS series Georgia

Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Harold Perrineau are well-known to TV audiences, but their next project is taking them online. They’re the stars of Georgia, the new comedy series from writer-director Marta Kauffman (Friends) that’s the latest series on WIGS — a YouTube channel for original scripted programs that’s attracted the likes of Jennifer Beals, Stephen Moyer, and Jennifer Garner. Georgia debuts its third episode today; you can visit the WIGS YouTube channel to check out all the installments.

In Georgia, Ellis (best known as The Waitress from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) plays the title character, a yoga psychotherapist looking to bring calm into both the lives of her patients and her own. Georgia’s fiancee is Michael, played by Perrineau (who’s guest starring as Damon Pope in the current season of Sons of Anarchy). I recently caught up with Ellis and Perrineau to ask them about the differences between traditional television and web TV, their favorite parts of Georgia, and the people who make them laugh.

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