The Couch Potato

Since this summer’s television schedule is pretty hectic we are going to keep you updated on when your favorite summer shows will return and what new shows are beginning each week. (This list only includes shows that are having their first episode of the summer this week. Shows that have already started won’t appear on this list.) This is not an exhaustive list. This list only contains the shows that I am interested in. For a full list of premieres check out The Futon Critic.

Sunday

Million Dollar Password-CBS 8/7 C Password comes back to network television with Million Dollar Password. Hosted by Regis Philbin, I think Million Dollar Password has some potential. I personally never liked the original Password but I have high hopes that Million Dollar Password has modernized Password so it is more entertaining to younger viewers. Sunday’s episode has Neil Patrick Harris and Rachel Ray help the contestants.

In Plain Sight-USA 10/9 C We have actually been able to see the pilot of In Plain Sight, and I would have to say it is a pretty good show. It is worth watching but probably USA’s worst original show. To see our full review, click here.

Ice Road Truckers-History 9/8C The second season of Ice Road Truckers begins on Sunday. This Sundays episode is a recap of season one.  We recently received a press kit for the second season so we will have a preview of the next weeks episode up sometime this week.

Monday

The Mole- ABC 10/9 C I would recommend that everyone watches The Mole on Monday. During the Mole’s first run on tv it was one of the best shows on tv. It was cancelled though since it didn’t get high enough ratings. I beg everyone to try an give the Mole a chance since you most likely will like it. It’s got everything you expect from reality shows and game shows. The mole has wacky games, strategy, fights, and even a way for you to play along at home (it is fun to try and figure out who the mole is yourself). The best thing of all is that this season doesn’t have celebrities like the previous two seasons. Hopefully this time the Mole gets the viewers that it deserves.

Tuesday

30 Days-FX 10/9C After a LONG break, 30 Days is finally back. For those of you who don’t know, 30 Days takes a person out of their normal life and puts them in a situation totally unlike their own. The show does a good job showing the difference between cultures. In the first episode Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) becomes a coal miner for 30 Days. I really enjoyed the episodes of this show that I have seen (I have only been able to see season one). Some episodes are better than others (mostly depends on the subject of the episode). I would recommend that if you haven’t checked out 30 Days you should give it a chance.

Wednesday

Nothing notable begins this Wednesday.

Thursday

Swingtown-CBS 10/9 C If you want a scripted show this summer you might want to check out Swingtown since it is one of the only new scripted shows this summer. For those of you who don’t know, Swingtown takes place in the 1970’s and deals with some of the issues of that decade. I believe people who lived during that decade will get more out of the show (I wasn’t alive in the 70’s). While I am not expecting a ton out of Swingtown, I am hoping for a good show since this is one of only a few scripted shows this summer.

Fear Itself-NBC 10/9 C If you want to be scared you should check out Fear Itself. Fear Itself is essentially a new one hour horror movie every week. None of the movies correlate to one another and each movie even has a different director. At this point I don’t have strong feeling either way about Fear Itself. I personally am not a fan of horror movies. My opinion of Fear Itself will mostly come down to how scary the movies are. Fans of horror movies should love Fear Itself.

Friday

Meerkat Manor-Animal Planet 9/8C On Friday the fourth season of Meekat Manor begins. While I haven’t seen many episodes of Meerkat Manor I thought it was a pretty good show. How much you will like it will mostly depend on if you like animals. For those of you who don’t know Meerkat Manor follows a family of Meerkats in their daily trials.

Saturday

Like usual there isn’t much this Saturday.

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“Mama’s Boy”-Own it on DVD June 3, 2008

• Release Date: June 3, 2008
• Price: $27.98
• Genre: Comedy
• Rating: PG-13 (language including sexual references, and some drug use)
• Runtime: 93 Minutes
• Publisher: Warner Home Video
• Starring: Jon Heder, Diane Keaton, Jeff Daniels, Anna Faris, Sarah Chalke
• Director: Tim Hamilton
• Special Features: Commentary, Deleted Scenes
• Buy It On Amazon.com

Jeffrey Mannus (Jon Heder) has always been a mama’s boy ever since his father died when he was about 10. Ever since that day, Jeffrey has been afraid to leave his house. At the age of 29, Jeffrey still lives at home with his mother Jan (Diane Keaton). Jan still treats him like he is a boy. Things change though when Jan meets Mert (Jeff Daniels). They start going out which upset Jeffrey. Things even get worse for Jeffrey when Mert starts convincing Jan that Jeffrey needs to grow up and move out of the house. Jeffrey doesn’t want to grow up so he tries to break up Mert and Jan. Will Jeffrey remain a mama’s boy or will he decide to finally grow up?

Going into watching this movie I was hesitant. I will say right now that I am not a fan of Jon Heder. I personally think he overacts in all his roles and is not that great of actor. He is starting to get a little better since his Napoleon Dynamite days but I think he has a long way to go to be considered a good actor. So with Jon Heder in the lead role I wasn’t expecting a ton out of the movie. After watching I would have to say that Mama’s Boy is nothing special and pretty average overall.

I considered the plot pretty average overall. Nothing groundbreaking and nothing really original since there have been several other movies like this in the past. The biggest problem I had with the plot was that it wasn’t funny at all. This is disappointing since I thought there were some opportunities for humor but none of them were really capitalized on. I might have laughed once during the entire movie. Being a comedy this fact is not a good thing. It might have been because it was not my type of humor (evidenced by the fact that I don’t like Jon Heder). Jon Heder fans might find more humor in the movie than I did. The plot (with the lack of humor) is not terrible. It is a story of growing up and moving on with your life. The story seemed rehashed from another movie. Despite this fact it isn’t terrible and I have seen much worse plots in movies.

I already mentioned that I am not a huge fan of Jon Heder so you can probably tell what I thought of his performance. I think he over-exaggerated the character a little. I think his character is a little over the top and that makes his character unrealistic. For those of you who like Jon Heder, you should like his performance in this movie since it is a lot like his many other roles. Well thats enough about Jon Heder. What about the rest of the cast? I thought the rest of the cast wasn’t terrible but they also didn’t give their best performances either. Overall the acting in the movie is pretty average overall.

There really isn’t anything to address in regards to audio and video (both average overall). The special features on the DVD are also nothing special. You get your commentary from the director which you essentially get on every DVD now. You also get some deleted scenes. Neither are anything special and are definitely not must sees.

So as far as the overall rating I would have to say the movie is pretty average overall. The movie pretty much fails to be funny (or at least in my opinion). Everything else from the plot to the acting is average. I thought the movie was average and is not near a must-watch. It wasn’t terrible but it is not a type of movie I would watch again. I believe some people will enjoy the movie more than I did. If you like Jon Heder’s work and his comedy, you will probably like Mama’s Boy more than I did. So if you are not a big fan of Jon Heder I would recommend that you either rent Mama’s Boy or pass on it entirely. This decision should probably come down to the idea if you think the plot description sounded interesting (take into consideration that I didn’t find the movie to be very funny). If you are a fan of Jon Heder I would consider purchasing Mama’s Boy since it is a lot like his other movies.

Rating:

Jon Heder Fans:

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• ABC: 8/7-The Rookie (movie)
• CBS: 8/7-CSI (encore), 9/8-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights: Slice-Thompson (two-hour special)
• NBC: 8/7-Stanley Cup Finals Game 4: Red Wings at Penguins, 11:25/10:25-Saturday Night Live (encore)
• FOX: 8/7-Cops, 8:30/7:30-Cops (encore), 9/8-America’s Most Wanted, 11/10-MADtv (encore), 12/11-Talkshow with Spike Feresten (encore)
• My Network TV: 8/7-Meet My Folks (encore), 9/8-Decision House (encore)
• TLC: 8/7-Flip That House, 8:30/7:30-Date My House, 10/9-Moving Up
• Cartoon Network/Adult Swim: 9/8-Naruto, 10/9-Blue Dragon, 12/11-Bleach, 12:30/11:30-Death Note, 1/2-Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, 1:30/12:30-Shin Chan
• Discovery Kids: 8/7-Adventure Camp
• Animal Planet: 9/8-Groomer Has It
• Nickelodeon: 9/8-Dance on Sunset
• Hallmark: 9/8-McBride: Requiem (original telefilm)
• FOX Reality: 9/8-The Academy
• Lifetime: 9/8-Dead At 17 (original telefilm)
• Sci Fi: 9/8-Heat Stroke (original telefilm)
• BBC America: 9/8-Robin Hood, 10/9-The Graham Norton Show
• TV Guide Channel: 8/7-TV Guide Close Up
• truTV: 9/8-D.C. Sniper’s Wife (one-hour special), 10/9-Personal Conviction (back-to-back new episodes)
• Disney Channel: 8/7-Cory in the House
• Spike: 9/8-Ultimate Iceman: Chuck Liddell (one-hour special), 10/9-UFC Unleashed
• Food Network: 8/7-Tyler’s Ultimate, 8:30/7:30-Guy’s Big Bite

All shows listed are new unless otherwise noted. First time listed is eastern, second is central.

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MLB:

• Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 1:05/12:05 on FSN (Colorado) and Comcast (Chicago)
• Atlanta at Cincinnati, 3:55/2:55 on FOX Regional
• Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets, 3:55/2:55 on FOX Regional
• Detroit at Seattle, 3:55/2:55 on FOX Regional
• San Diego at San Francisco, 4:05/3:05 (no TV)
• Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay, 6:10/5:10 on Comcast (Chicago)
• Boston at Baltimore, 7:05/6:05 on NESN (Boston) and MASN (Baltimore)
• Houston at Milwaukee, 7:05/6:05 on FSN (Houston) and WMLW (Milwaukee)
• Florida at Philadelphia, 7:05/6:05 on FSN (Florida) and WPSG (Philadelphia)
• Cleveland at Kansas City, 7:10/6:10 on STO Network (Cleveland) and FSN (Kansas City)
• New York Yankees at Minnesota, 7:10/6:10 on YES Network and FSN (Minnesota)
• Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 7:15/6:15 on FSN (Pittsburgh and St. Louis)
• Oakland at Texas, 8:05/7:05 on KICU (Oakland) and FSN (Texas)
• Washington at Arizona, 8:10/7:10 on MASN2 (Washington) and FSN (Arizona)
• Toronto at Los Angeles Angels, 9:05/8:05 on KCOP (Los Angeles)

NHL Playoffs:

• Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8/7 on NBC

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AMC Announces Sunday, July 27th at 10pm EST as Premiere Date for Mad Men Season Two

2008 Golden Globe Winner for Best Drama on Television Marked First Original Series for the Network

New York, NY - Thursday, May 29, 2008 - AMC will premiere the second season of its critically-acclaimed drama MAD MEN on Sunday July 27th at 10PM EST. The winner of two Golden Globes and a Peabody Award, MAD MEN burst onto the scene when it debuted on AMC in July 2007 and quickly became one of the most talked about series on television, topping dozens of critics’ “Best of 2007″ lists. Hailed by The New York Times as “a series that breaks new ground by luxuriating in the not-so-distant past…it serves as a bridge to a faded and now forbidden world,” Mad Men was featured as a Top 10 program of 2007 in a number of national publications, including TIME, USA Today, People, TV Guide and the Los Angeles Times, and was lauded as “the best show of the year” by the Associated Press.

Leading up to the highly anticipated Season Two premiere will be a MAD MEN MARATHON on Sunday, July 20 at 12pm ET & PT/11C, featuring all 13 episodes from the series’ award-winning first season.

MAD MEN is created, written and executive produced by Matthew Weiner (Executive Producer/Writer, The Sopranos), co-executive produced by Scott Hornbacher (The Sopranos), and produced by Lionsgate. AMC’s Christina Wayne, SVP of Scripted Series and Miniseries, and Vlad Wolynetz, VP of Production, Series and Movies, oversee development and production for the network.

AMC will also offer the series’ award-winning first season On Demand, in both standard- and high-definition, beginning Monday, June 30. Committed MSOs include Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, Charter and Cablevision. Season One will be released on DVD on July 1 by Lionsgate. AMC kicked off production on MAD MEN Season Two at the end of April in Los Angeles.

About AMC

AMC is a multi-platform network that celebrates classic movies and high-quality scripted series. Among the elite services reaching over 94,000,000 homes, AMC defines what it means to be a classic movie network today, creating a distinctive viewing experience that celebrates all that is enduringly cool, personal and powerfully relevant about movies. AMC’s comprehensive library of popular movies strike a meaningful chord with its audience, and its critically-acclaimed slate of originals all have a cinematic quality that allow them to complement and be complemented by some of the best movies of all time. A division of Rainbow Media Entertainment Services, AMC’s sister divisions include WE tv and IFC TV. AMC is THE FUTURE OF CLASSIC.

About Lionsgate

LIONSGATE is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio and is a premier producer and distributor of motion picture, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally-delivered content. Its prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a stable source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The LIONSGATE brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

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This column is meant to disclose the items we receive for free from companies. We don’t give these products preferential treatment other than a guaranteed review. They are reviewed using the same guidelines as any normal review.

If you would like to see your product reviewed on this site, send us an e-mail.

Received Today:

• “Ice Road Truckers” season two premiere plus branded shirt, bumper sticker, air freshener, and keychain
• Blood+: Volume Two
• Mama’s Boy

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For those who haven’t seen the Lost finale yet skip this post entirely since key point of the plot will be spoiled in this article.

So last night was the Lost season finale and I would have to say that I really liked it. While I thought this season has been the second worst (season 2 was the worst) of the series I thought the season finale was a great way to wrap up season 4. I would have to actually say it might have been the second best season finale in the series (it’s a close battle between season 4’s and seasons 1’s). Continue Reading »

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Los Angeles (Guest judges Angela Kinsey and Oscar Nunez from “The Office”):

Highlights:

• The first few good female comics of the season. Amber Tozer, who says she is Punky Brewster meets Avril Lavigne, talks about her wacky family. Jennifer Murphy had issues with her nerves but had two pretty good sets. Unfortunately, neither move on to Las Vegas.
• Jacob Sirof who is literally a card-carrying Star Wars geek. He shows off his many Star Wars tattoos before telling a good joke about the differences between geeks and nerds. He is adamant that he is a geek, not a nerd. Unfortunately, he doesn’t make Las Vegas either.
• The very angry sounding Eddie Pepitone who performs a rap that people with low confidence would do.
• Ben Gleib didn’t do a very good job in his audition but he had a very funny joke about how even on the internet you can get an STD (virus from porn site).

Lowlights:

• Juan Alcala-He wears a whole house on his head then makes some bad jokes about mortgages. When Angela and Oscar tell him he isn’t moving on, he keeps telling them that he “doesn’t want to be a comic.”
• A whole bunch of strange acts from a guy baby-talking to a floor to the self-explanatory “Elvis Poultry.”

Moving On: Erin Foley, Ron G, Eddie Pepitone, and Jackie Kashian

Houston:

Highlights:

• Bob Biggerstaff-I believe this guy was on the show last season but I could be wrong. He is easily the highlight of Houston with funny jokes about his dad being upset he got Lou Gehrig’s disease because he isn’t a Yankees fan and the stupidity of the self-checkout.
• Ian Varella-Not because he was particularly funny but because of his innovative ventriloquist act. Instead of a puppet, he used a simple dry erase board and made eyes and a mouth move. He didn’t deserve to move on but his imagination was probably the second best thing found in Houston.

Lowlights:

• Andi Smith-Another person who has been on the show before but I didn’t like her last year, and I still didn’t like her this year. I’m obviously not her target audience but I just don’t think she is very funny.
• Sheyla Almeida-She didn’t even do a routine. Instead, she just basically danced and showed off her way-too-big breasts.

Moving On: Andi Smith and Bob Biggerstaff

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• 8/7 PM: 1) So You Think You Can Dance (5.8/10), 2) Lost (4.5/8), 3) The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother (3.2/6), 4) The Office and Last Comic Standing, 5) Smallville (1.2/2)
• 9/8 PM: 1) Lost (7.1/12), 2) So You Think You Can Dance (6.0/10), 3) CSI (5.9/10), 4) Last Comic Standing (3.0/5), Supernatural
• 10/9 PM: 1) Lost (7.6/13), 2) Without a Trace (5.7/10), 3) Last Comic Standing and The Office (2.9/5)
• Overall: 1) ABC (6.4/11), 2) FOX (5.9/10), 3) CBS (4.9/8), 4) NBC (2.8/5), 5) The CW (1.1/2)
• 18-49 Demographic: 1) ABC-4.0, 2) FOX-3.6, 3) CBS-1.9, 4) NBC-1.7, 5) The CW-0.6

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