Mini-DVD Review: Perry Mason 50th Anniversary Edition; Solomon's Final Rant: Good Times Not a Spin-Off of Maude

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, is the mini-DVD review. Today we take a look at CBS DVD's Perry Mason - 50th Anniversary Edition. Perry Mason of course is the very popular law series. The series stars the great Raymond Burr. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Perry Mason - 50th Anniversary Edition:

Perry Mason - 50th Anniversary Edition (CBS DVD, $49.98) brings you some of the best episodes of one of the most popular courtroom dramas on television along with plenty of special features on a four-disc set. The series premiered in 1957 on CBS and ran through 1966, making it one of the most successful series of its time. The "meat of the set" so to speak would be the episodes, and on this set, we have the twelve "best" episodes of the series (as chosen by the producers of the DVDs), beginning with the 1960 episode "The Case of The Wary Wildcater," where a woman accuses an oil entrepreneur of killer her sister, and then she is in turn accused of killing him when he is murdered. A clump of fake hair could solve the mystery in "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee," where Robert Redford guest stars. Before he was Batman, Adam West guest stars in "The Case of the Barefaced Witness."
A man may have gone crazy in "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank," but is he crazy enough to commit murder? Leonard Nimoy guest stars in "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe." Can Perry prove that a woman that has already been convicted is actually innocent? Find out in "The Case of the Deadly Verdict."
Did you know that Perry Mason was in color? Well it was... but only for one episode... in "The Case of the Twice Told Twist." In "The Case of the Dead Ringer," Raymond Burr plays the bad guy AND Perry Mason in the same episode. The set ends with the final episode, "The Case of the Final Fadeout," where Dick Clark guest stars.
The set comes in a very nice package with two double slimcases, with four discs. As has been the case on previous Perry Mason releases, the video and audio are preserved nearly to perfection, with virtually no flaws to be found... even the one color episode looks amazing! Closed-captioning is also available.
While there aren't any episode commentaries, there ARE video introductions from Barbara Hale on each and every episode... and much, much more. In fact, Disc 4 is nothing BUT special features. It begins with the 1985 movie Perry Mason Returns, which was the first (in a long line of MANY) Perry Mason TV movies of the week. Did you ever want to see what the cast was like when trying out for their roles? Find out in the Talent Tests. In fact, you even get to see actors from the show try out for parts they didn't even get. In "The Case of Erle Stanley Gardner," we get to find out about the history behind the creator of the series.
There are two interviews of Raymond Burr by Charlie Rose from the 1980s, as well a much older "Person to Person" interview. There are brand new interviews on the set from Barbara Hale, Arthur Marks, and Anne Nelson. You can see the entire cast play n the game show "Stump the Stars" on one of the special features. William Talman, while dying of lung cancer, gives a special anti-smoking message (that was taped just before he died) on another feature. And finally, there are some syndication promos and a photo gallery. Oh, and did I mention that except for the last two, all of these special features have an introduction by Barbara Hale?
I think that the verdict is very clear on this set... you'll want it. Normally I'm not a big fan of "best of" sets, but normally such sets don't include this many (and such great) special features. Now CBS DVD needs to get moving on more season sets... and perhaps give us some special features like these on one of those! This is better than those!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(5/5 stars)

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After launching June 2, 2007, Solomon's Weekly Rant is coming to an end after today's column. No, the rant is not canceled, but Solomon wants to go out on top. We enjoyed the rant each Saturday for the last 10 months and he is welcome to come back to do special features for us on the blog whenever we have some time. He of course will still remain an active members on our message boards, so you can still speak to him there. He will leave us today with his final rant that will feature some great thoughts and insight on why Good Times was not a spin-off of Maude. He has constantly said this on our message boards but this will be the first time he has actually written up something officially on this. You'll want to read this...because dare I say it, he could be right!

Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, April 19, 2008
"Why Good Times is NOT a Spin-Off of Maude"
By Solomon Davis

I have said this many times but now I'm actually writing it up for the whole world to see. Good Times is not a spin-off of Maude, damnit. You may think I'm crazy but I have some hard facts to prove this. First, isn't it obvious that the name of Florida's husband is different on both shows? On Maude his name is Henry and on Good Times it changed to James. So if Good Times was a spin-off why wouldn't they have kept the same name for the husband? And it was also obvious that the wife's name was supposed to be changed on Good Times since her husband had a different name on the show. So someone screwed up the naming the characters for Good Times and that's one reason that it can't be a spinoff... all about the names.

Fine you may think the producers might have messed up on the first argument I mentioned. But secondly, the location of Good Times along with the situation of the family lets you know it's not a spinoff. On Maude, the husband had a stable job as a fireman in upstate New York and on Good Times he was working at a car wash and living in the projects section of Chicago. On the last episode ("Florida's Goodbye") they appeared on Maude, they said Henry got a job promotion...so from a fireman to working at a car wash is a promotion? And the last time I checked Chicago is no where near upstate New York which means that Good Times is its own show and not a spinoff. Plus how could a family have moved from upstate New York and then be living in the projects in Chicago? Not a spinoff of Maude, that's why.

Third, the executive producer of Good Times, Allan Manings, stated in a 1974 issue of Ebony Magazine that it's not really a spin-off because Florida Evans was one character on Maude and that character was changed & re-developed for the NEW SHOW called Good Times. If anyone would know, it would be the executive producer of the show that knows whether it was a spinoff or not. The early scripts from Good Times are not connected at all to the final scripts of Maude. Once again, no spinoff.

And my last point, which will really show that Good Times was not a spinoff, is the airdate for the debut of Good Times in 1974. In some markets, CBS aired Good Times on February 1, 1974 and the last episode with the characters on Maude was aired on February 5, 1974. Did they move to Chicago and go back to upstate New York in a week? So if Good Times was supposed to be connected to the last episode of Maude then why would some CBS affiliates air the debut episode of Good Times before the last episode of Maude? And I know some CBS stations aired the launch of Good Times on February 8, 1974 but for the ones that didn't, made it obvious for the last time, that Good Times was never ever a spinoff of the show Maude. The characters were BASED on Maude but not the same exact ones! I hope everyone hears that lound and clear! I don't want to hear that on TV anymore that Good Times was a spin-off of Maude! You hear that E! True Hollywood Story, Entertainment Tonight, Biography, TV Land, and most of all Norman Lear? I hope you all see this!


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DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Classic Cartoon Collection Volume 2 (April 15); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at Universal Home Video's The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 2. Woody Woodpecker is of course the classic TV woodpecker that made his mark in the 40s-70s in feature films! Not only do we get Woody cartoons, we also get classic theatrical cartoons of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, some Cartune Classics, and some Music Favorites. See my mini-DVD review of The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 2:

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 2 (Universal, $39.98) brings 45 more classic unedited Woody Woodpecker cartoons and 30 other unedited classic cartoons from the legendary Walter Lantz to DVD on another classic 3-disc set! This time three of these shorts were nominated for Academy Awards. The set also goes again to the vault for classic behind-the-scenes with Walter Lantz and some rare Lantz pilots.
On this set we not only get 45 Woody Woodpecker cartoons, but also 5 each of the following: Oswald the Luck Rabbit, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Cartune Classics, Cartune Co-Stars and Musical Favorites. The Woody Woodpecker cartoons generally are between 6-7 minutes. Chilly Willy is about the same as well, and the others are a bit higher, more like 7-8 minutes each. There are no chapter stops once again, which is acceptable here because the episodes are very short. There are 75 total shorts.
The video is digitally remastered and uncut and it looks great! You see some dust and debris here and there, but a bit better than the last set, as that set had more older shorts...but some shorts like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit are still from the '30s. Woody is from 1952-58 on this set. The audio is decent, nothing too bad about it. It is in mono, but very good for its age.
Packaging has a nice brown outer box (like a tree again) with Woody coming out of the whole on the tree holding a sling shot. His nephew and niece, Knothead and Splinter are also on the cover. The back cover has information on the set and has some screenshots of the shorts along with a big photo of Woody pumping up dynamites or something. A box titled Rare Vintage Bonus Features is also listed on the back of the box. Inside the box is a digipak. The front of the digipak has Woody again coming out of a whole on a tree with a sling shot surrounded by more hole on the three with are screenshots from the show like Smedly and Chilly Willy. Woody's "Ha-Ha-Ha-HAAA-Ha!" is also mentioned on the front of the digipak. The back of the digipak has a nice list of characters from Walter Lantz's shows, with details on each such as Woody, Chilly Willy and Space Mouse. Below that are nice photos of each all together! Opening the case once, we get a very nice disc by disc breakdown as we got on the last set, which is very colorful and has lots of pictures. Opening the case one last time, we get to the discs. We have four panels. The first panel, all the way to the far left, has a a nice paragraph each on each disc and what is inside it. The next three panels hold each disc. The artwork has a tree wooden background with niece Splinter on disc one, Woody himself on disc two and nephew Knothead on disc three. Nice classic images from the shorts are in the background on the case itself.
The menu screen has Play All, Cartoon Selection, Bonus, and Languages...exactly the same as the last set. The main menu has Woody pecking to start and then we hear Woody's famous laugh....again exactly the same as the last set, but that is good! Languages section has us in English only, but subtitles can be added for English, Espanol, and Francais. Bonus Features are on each disc, so they are spread out evenly. Cartoon Selection is where we can choose the classic shorts...we get a list of titles in a tree hole.
Moving on to the extras. As I mentioned, they are evenly placed on each disc. The extras are all from the vaults and are not new material once again, which is indeed classic and great. Since this is a classic collection, might as well dig stuff up from the archives. Disc one has more of those "Behind the Scenes with Walter Lantz" episodes. We get six short segments running between 3-5 minutes or so. We have Creating Woody Woodpecker (Episode 2), Timing a Cartoon (Episode 11), Character Movement (Episode 12), Photography Animation Cels (Episode 13), Animator's Job (Episode 14), and Using Backgrounds (Episode 15). These are all so interesting and it was great of Mr. Lantz to do these...we should have all of these finished by the time we get all Woody episodes finished on DVD. On disc two we have six more "Behind the Scenes with Walter Lantz" episodes! We have Inking Department (Episode 17), Painting Department (Episode 18), Drawing with Walter Lantz (Episode 20), Sound Effects in Cartoons (Episode 22), Storyboarding Woody Woodpecker (Episode 24), and Creating New Characters (Episode 26). So we get a dozen of these on this set...we got six last time, so 18 of them are done! Then we have Rare TV Pilot Episodes of other Lantz characters. We get the pilot episode of The Secret Weapon, with Space Mouse that runs 6:04 and Jungle Medias, with Sam 'n Simian that runs 6:01...rare stuff! On the last disc we have a full episode of The Woody Woodpecker Show. It is episode 47 and runs 26:59. It is from 1957-58 when it aired on ABC...we get four classic shorts packaged together: Ballyhooey/Rough and Tumbleweed/Franken-Stymied/Mother's Little Helper. As I said in the last set, it was later revived in 1970 by NBC with more episodes. And in the '80s it was packed together for syndication we saw different themes and stuff in syndication. I love this the best as I stated last time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5zwBBFJ63c (I hope we get that on a future set as an extra and all the theme songs used in syndication).
I highly do recommend any fan of classic cartoons and Woody Woodpecker to pick-up this set...especially if you have Volume 1. If you remember the show from local syndication in the late 80s/early 90s, you'll be fascinated by this because these shorts were made for theatrical cartoons and not television, which I never knew obviously then. This set covers Woody from 1952-1958...so we have still have 12 years or so left. Volume 1 covered 1940-52. Maybe we will need about 4-5 volumes to finish it up. Let's hope we do and we get all of the Woody shorts released and the other Lantz shorts. I want all of the Chilly Willy shorts too...I loved him and Smedly. So start 'guessing who' is coming to DVD once again? Yes Woody Woodpecker and Friends once again!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(5/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, April 12, 2008
"BET Doing Stuff Wrong Now; Enough Spitzer, Leno; Complaining of High Gas Prices"
By Solomon Davis

BET was almost the cable channel of 2008 with its new acquisitions but now the network is just doing stuff wrong. First, the editing STINKS on Diff'rent Strokes and it is actually worse than ION's editing probably because I never seen a network cut from a scene while two characters are dancing and talking. That's called pre-school editing at its best and it is unacceptable. Second they added more airings of Diff'rent Strokes, which is great, but the additional slots are still during the day. So how is airing Diff'rent Strokes at 3pm any different from 9am? Most people are still at work or school at 3pm. No one at BET has enough sense to air additional airings in the evening or regular airings during weekends? And last, why would BET have two marathons of the same show in one month? We just watched an eight hour marathon of Diff'rent Strokes last Sunday and now they have a five hour marathon coming on Sunday, April 20? It is good they are having marathons at least, but I guess no one at BET ever heard of the month of May where the Strokes marathons can be more spread out.

How much longer is Jay Leno going to make fun of former governor of New York Elliot Spitzer? The jokes are no longer funny because the story is now OLD and it is time to move on and joke about something else. No need to keep bringing up an old news story when there is new stuff to make fun of about everyday. Time for Jay to get some FRESH jokes and start leaving the STALE jokes alone.

I get so annoyed when I hear people who have nice salaries talk about high gas prices like they can't afford to pay the increase. I have heard radio talk show hosts, late night TV hosts, and news anchors mention how ridiculous it is that gas is so high in 2008 and we all know they are not affected. The "average working person" definitely doesn't want to hear someone with a six figure salary complain about high gas prices. It's really amazing that these high paid people don't have a clue on how stupid they sound. I guess news anchors have to report it, though...but they shouldn't be complaining.

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DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 6 (April 8); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD review. Today we take a look at Lionsgate's Season 6 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (actually the ninth DVD release). Ninja Turtles is of course the hit animated series that caused kids and teens to go crazy for in the late '80s and early '90s. See my mini-DVD review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 6:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 6 (Lionsgate, $19.98) brings all 16 episodes from the series' sixth season on this wonderful two-disc DVD set. Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Splinter, April are all back to battle Shredder, Krang and other villains! Cowabunga! Starting with season four we started getting season releases. Prior to that, we were getting volume releases. Volume 6 had the last 11 episodes from season three, plus the first episode of season four. The third season had a total of 47 episodes, so they decided to split up that season into volumes, so volumes 3, 4, 5, and 6 covered season three. Season one had only 5 episodes, so that was on Volume 1. For season 2 there were just 13 episodes, so Lionsgate released that for volume two...so yes, technically the first two volumes were season sets. Season 4 and Season 5 had their actual full seasons...season 4 had 39 episodes and season 5 had 18.
Season six has a total of 16 episodes, and we get ALL of those on this set, which is a bit cheaper in quality than the last two sets we got.
The packaging started getting very good starting with season four. The first six volumes the packaging was simple (as they were just one-disc sets)...and we are back to that on this set. This set is 2-discs, but the case is very similar to those volume releases. We get a very thin box holding the case, which I don't understand why it is even needed. Both the thin box cover and the case cover has the same cover art...the four turtles in the middle with their respective weapons. The artwork is very colorful, though. We get a shot of Splinter on the upper left and April on the bottom left. It is in comic book style, so it is nicely done. The back of both the thing box and case are also similar. We get a photo of Leonardo with his sword and some details on the set and series. Below that we get an episode listing of each episode for season six in a rectangular yellow box. When we open the case, it is also pretty simple...black backgrounds surrounding the case with two disc holders holding each disc. At least no overlapping occurs! Disc one holds the first 8 episodes of the season and is in blue with Michaelangelo. Disc two has the rest of the episodes from season six, the final eight, and is in reddish/orangeish color with Dontatello.
The menu screen is not as creative as the last set for sure. No pizza menu this time, but still it is decent. First, we get autotrailers before the main menu appears on disc one only. Then after that is done, we see rotating images of each Turtle before we come to the main menu screen. The theme song is playing in the background, and it does loop, and the photo is similar to the box art, but the weapons of each turtle is moving a bit. Nicely done. Also, the background seems to have video clips playing in the background, but it is in blue and looks transparent. The options are: Play All Episodes, Episode Selection, Trailers. Trailers is on both disc for some reason and is I believe the same as the auto-trailers that are on disc one. Episode Selection takes us to a submenu with episode #, title, and a screenshot from the episode.
The video is on par with the other volumes, with dust and debris here and there but I think it is much better than the previous releases...but probably on par with seasons 4 and 5. The audio is also on par with the previous releases, not bad...and listenable. The episodes run a around 23:35-23:40, with the highest being 23:41 and the lowest at 23:35. We get 5 chapter stops per episode...nice.
Seasons four and five had extras...and decent ones, too...but this time we get absolutely nothing! Why??? Was the reason we were getting extras was because of the new TMNT CGI-movie? I hope not. I hope we get more extras in future seasons.
I still urge fans to buy this set even though it is a bit of a letdown from the seasons 4 and 5 sets. I was afraid of the quality dipping by Lionsgate starting with season six...I expressed my worries on my season 5 review about that. Seasons 7, 8, 9, and 10 still remain to be released, so let's hope they come out soon and in good quality. Season seven had 27 episodes and seasons eight through ten had 8 episodes each. Four of the eight episodes on season ten was released on the Volume 1 DVD, the very first DVD, though.
Anyway, this set will be released this Tuesday, click on the link below to purchase all the thrilling season six episodes and you'll like the comic book style packaging! Eat some pizza while you watch this DVD! Cowabunga dudes!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, April 5, 2008
"Nick at Nite Delaying Family Matters; TV One Going Downhill Still; ESPN Wrong Again"
By Solomon Davis

Thank you Nick at Nite for deciding at the last minute to launch Family Matters at a later date when the promos were stating it will be coming "next month" (April). And is this decision all because of Home Improvement improving in the ratings lately? Well that means the promos in March were false advertisement and it's unfair to fans when it was stated April was the month that it would launch (was slated to launch April 20 with airings 9-10pm each weekday, bumping Tim Allen and the gang to just 12-1am). So I guess if Home Improvement continues to "improve," Family Matters will probably start in September or NEVER if Home Improvement becomes a new Nick at Nite HIT! That show is no George Lopez!

TV One is going to air a 24-hour marathon of Martin in May (part of their May Friday marathons) and the show has been on the schedule forever? This makes no sense at all since it's not a new show which is another poor program decision by TV One. And on top of that Amen will resurface on the TV One evening schedule this coming week which should be very exciting since it was already on the schedule two years ago. Holding on to shows for years and adding shows that they already had on the schedule means that TV One is nothing but a LARGER version of the station called ION Television.

ESPN wanted to be the first to report a story this week but just ended up looking like a national joke. Now why would ESPN report that Brett Farve may want to come out of retirement? Was the news that slow that day that the network had to make up something that dumb? Thankfully SI.com reported today that Farve never said that he wanted to come back and I'm still annoyed I have to continue to pay money to watch a network that reports false information.


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DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks Go To the Movies: Funny, We Shrunk the Adults (April 1); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at Paramount Home Entertainment's second set of The Chipmunks Go to the Movies. The Chipmunks Go to the Movies is a continuation of Alvin and the Chipmunks from 1990 where the Chipmunks re-enact your favorite classic movies like Big, Back to the Future and Honey I Shrunk the Kids! See my mini-DVD review of The Chipmunks Go to the Movies:

Alvin & the Chipmunks Go To the Movies: Funny, We Shrunk the Adults (Paramount, $16.99) brings three episodes from the short-lived 13 episode series where the Chipmunks spoofed major Hollywood films. This is the fifth set from Paramount featuring the Chipmunks series. The last set was the first Chipmunks Go To The Movies set (which featured "Star Wreck," "Batmunk," and "Funny...We Shrunk the Adults"). Previous sets were the Valentine's, Halloween and Christmas specials releases. Paramount has also released the Chipmunk Adventure feature film from 1987 on a separate set...so six sets really. Well maybe seven because they will also re-release this movie on April 1 as well with a bonus soundtrack disc inside (more on that below).
This set has three episodes from the 1990 series featuring spoofs on Back to the Future, Big & Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Yes, the spoof on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was on the last Chipmunks Go To The Movies set and for some reason is on this one, too. The episode titles for this set are "Back to Alvin's Future," "Bigger," and "Funny...We Shrunk the Adults." As I said in the previous review, why not just bring all 13 on two-discs or something? It doesn't make sense to me why just three episodes and one of them was already released on the last set. On the last set, each episode ran 21:30 or so, with NO closing credits or chapter stops. On this set two of the three have closing credits, but one doesn't. The two that do, have runtimes of 23:06 and the one that doesn't has a runtime of 22:33 (but that one has the original NBC In Stereo logo during the opening credits). Each episode has 3 chapter stops.
Packaging is simple and in the same line as the previous sets--a nice simple case with the disc inside with an insert for Chipmunks.com. Cover art has Alvin and the Chipmunks Go To The Movies logo with a reel strip and the mention of "Funny, We Shrunk The Adults." Picture of Theodore, Alvin and Simon are on the cover as Alvin holds a shrunken Dave and Ms. Miller. Disc art is the same as the cover art, but with just Alvin's shot from the cover. The last set's packaging featured Star Trek on the cover and Batman on the back, while this set is all about Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
The menu screen has Play All and all the episodes listed on the main menu, with a screenshot and episode title. The main menu is in blue/pink background.
The video and audio are decent and very watchable and in line with other releases.
I highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set. New fans might also want to see this hilarious take on popular films (such as Tom Hanks in Big and Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future), but I am hoping Paramount (or any other studio) releases the series on DVD in order with the classic episodes, and not just select episodes from The Chipmunks years (1988-1990). I like the old style animation the series had on NBC from 1983-87...why aren't they coming to DVD first? I think those might be from Warner and Ruby-Spears, while these are from DiC. But for now get shrunk (again) but this time we get 'bigger' and go to the 'future' with the Chipmunks. Alvinnnnnnnnnn!

Now I'll just comment a bit on the new release of The Chipmunk Adventure feature film movie from 1987 that runs 76 minutes. The packaging is different and the disc artwork is different, but everything else is the same. We get the same menus, video/audio, scene selections, special feature (original artwork). However, this new release has The Chipmunk Adventure soundtrack with all 11 tracks. So if you want to spend the money just for the soundtrack, because basically everything is the same except for the things I mentioned above, then buy this set. If you haven't bought the movie on DVD, then go for this set instead of the older one. The movie is really fun!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars) for both sets

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, March 29, 2008
"Price DVD Disappointing; Local News Breaks Into Programming, ION Strikes Again"
By Solomon Davis

I thought the Best of Price is Right DVD would be a great buy for fans of the show but when I heard that there are episodes from the 2007 season included, I was no longer in a rush to buy the DVD. Why in the world would FIVE episodes from 2007 be on a best of the Price is Right DVD? The very last episode with Bob Barker I can understand a little but what are the other 4 episodes on the DVD for? Who cares if they are from Bob's last week on the show, this DVD should be all about the HISTORY of the Price is Right and not episodes from this decade at all. I don't even think it should be episodes from 1997, so to hear that 2007 episodes are on the DVD just sounds really stupid. This release proved that BCI Eclipse doesn't have no clue as to what should be on a Best of the Price is Right DVD. I hope they are planning on a second release because besides the 2007 episodes the newest episode is from the mid-70s...they skipped the entire '80s??

I know that someone has experienced watching a show on one of their local stations and the news cuts in to go to a press conference or a breaking news story when they can just tell viewers about it when the news comes on. I lost count at the number of times I was recording something only to have my local news station cut in and stop me from getting an entire show on tape. Which was what happened to me this week on my Fox station when the news station cut in on The Tyra Banks Show at the 40 minute mark to go to a Hilary Clinton press conference in Philadelphia leaving me with an incomplete episode. I just wish local news would leave regularly scheduled programming ALONE if it's not a MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS story...they could wait for the regular local news timeslot to report it. If Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams or Katie Couric are not breaking in, no one else should.

Can't say I'm surprised by the recent programming by ION Television this past week with its new April schedule. ION for some reason feels the need to add shows that have already been played on other cable networks which is not an intriguing pick-up for TV fans. Who hasn't seen The Wayans Bros., Family Feud, and The Steve Harvey Show in syndication before? Plus ION decides to do this ODD mix of primetime scheduling and will now have a drama (Quantum Leap) leading into sitcoms which is just bizarre. OK, Quantum Leap hasn't been played much in syndication, but it is out of place on ION (Mama's Family airs before it and Drew Carey Show plays after it...what???) So it's the same 'ole story with ION each month, which is adding TV shows that are in the "Brand New Old" syndication category.

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DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: The Best of The Price is Right (March 25); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD review. Today we take a look at BCI's The Best of The Price is Right. The Price is Right of course is the long-running daytime game show hosted by Bob Barker where you guess the prices of various products via different pricing games. See skees53's mini-DVD review of The Best of The Price is Right:

The Best of The Price is Right (BCI, $39.98) gives you a chance to come on down and enjoy 26 episodes of one of the greatest game shows in American history! The four-disc set features four episodes from the 1960s, 17 episodes from the 1970s, and all five episodes from Bob Barker's final week as the host from 2007.
The set begins with Disc 1, which features the "beginnings" so to speak of the series. On here, we have four episodes of the version of the show that was hosted by Bill Cullen in the 1960s. Despite the fact that the version we all know aired (and still does) on CBS, these aired on NBC originally, and later on ABC. But don't expect the flashy colors or a few rounds of Plinko on these episodes. These are all in black and white and basically it is a much different game. On this version, the only thing contestants do is bid on items, and the one that comes closest to the actual retail price without going over wins... this part is only the first step in winning on the current version! Watching these episodes will seem boring to some fans, as that version didn't have the pricing games and excitement as the version we all know does, but if you imagine it as a different series, it really isn't all that bad.
The other three episodes on Disc 1 are episodes from the first week of the show as we know it that was hosted by Bob Barker, and you'll see that the games Bullseye and Grocery Game were VERY popular in the early days. This Bullseye game is NOT the one that we currently have on the series, and in watching these episodes and hearing the rules, you'll discover why this game was retired VERY quickly... it was virtually impossible to win! You almost have to feel sorry for the few unfortunate people that were invited to "come on down" and got stuck playing that game. You'll notice on these episodes that the contestants and audience are nothing like what we see on the show today. They are all calm and subdued, it seems very weird!
On Discs 2 and 3, we have 14 episodes from 1972-1975, and on these episodes, we find all of our classic games that we know and love from the series, like Clock Game, Any Number, and Plinko, as well as some that we have since forgotten, such as Give or Keep and Double Bullseye (a new version of that flawed original Bullseye game, this one featured two players). Throughout these episodes, we start to see a change in the series, and it starts to evolve into how we know it today... the contestants and audience are finally starting to get excited, all the time. Up to this point, all of the episodes are half hour episodes, but on Disc 3, we get to see the first hour long episode (which was part of an experimental week of hour long episodes) as well as the first regular hour long episode of the series. We get introduced to the Showcase Showdown for the very first time, and the Big Wheel... except on the experimental one hour episode, the Big Wheel looks NOTHING like the one we have today! But the rules are still the same.
Finally, Disc 4 contains Bob Barker's final five episodes as the host of the show. Most of these episodes are somewhat uneventful, but we do get to see contestants play the games one last time with Bob Barker as the host. We also get to see the most expensive prize ever offered on the series, valued at over $100,000... and to think, on the first week of the series, contestants were bidding $30 on items while in contestants row!
The video and audio quality on the set can tend to be a little rough, but it is understandable, as game shows were really not intended to be preserved when they originally aired. Besides, this show doesn't exactly need the greatest quality in the first place... I think if it had been preserved too well, it would remove the nostalgia factor from the older episodes. The Cullen episodes look very rough, but again, like the 70s episodes were never really intended to be seen again 30 years later, these Cullen episodes DEFINITELY were not intended to be seen again. The episodes have varying runtimes, with the Cullen episodes running around 26 minutes, the 70s half hour episodes running around 22:30, 70s hour long episodes running around 45 minutes, and the 2007 episodes running around 35 minutes. I have no clue if these runtimes are what the series should be, but daytime shows often tend to be shorter anyway. It appears that many of the sponsorship elements and ticket plugs are in place.
One thing that is annoying about the set, though, is the lack of VARIETY of episodes. The set neglects over 30 years worth of episodes! Where are the late 70s? All of the 80s and 90s? And the early 2000s? There are many great episodes in those years, and many great pricing games within those episodes... some that had a lasting impact, some which were quickly retired. And how can you have a Price is Right DVD set without that infamous incident of Yolanda Bowsley coming on down and having her, err, wardrobe malfunction? That isn't to say that the episodes on here aren't fun to watch, because they are, but a wider variety would have been nicer. We don't even get to hear Rod Roddy announce on a single episode on this set, yet he was the announcer for a majority of the years that the show was on. I seriously hope that there are more sets on the way that might include some of these other episodes!
Another thing that is annoying is the total lack of bonus features on the set. The box mentions Bob Barker's last week as a bonus feature, but how is that a bonus feature? Those episodes are already included in the episode count! It is great that these were included, because they are an important part of the history of the show, but I'd hardly call it a bonus feature. I don't understand why they couldn't get some bonus footage or interviews together. There have been plenty of people involved with the show over the years, and somebody would HAVE to be willing to be interviewed for the set, even if it was just a contestant talking about their experience on the show. It may be a little boring if it was just a contestant, but it would still be better than nothing! The BCI release of Match Game was great as far as special features were concerned, and it is disappointing that a series that is several times more popular than Match Game would be left in the dark on special features.
Still, even though many fans would probably like a more "diverse" selection of episodes than what is on here, as well as more bonus features, this is a great set and it is fun to see the older episodes of the series. I think any fan is certain to appreciate this set, and will want to get it as soon as possible. Personally, I haven't been watching the series that often since Drew Carey has taken over, and it is refreshing to see Bob Barker back in action, if only for a few episodes. It would be nice to see more releases, perhaps with episodes from the 80s and 90s!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, March 22, 2008
"TV Guide Changes; Abdul Needs To Leave Idol; Why More Dancing?"
By Solomon Davis

I noticed in the new issue of TV Guide that the print is smaller in the TV Highlight section for what's coming on TV. Up until now the print was bigger and easier to read but now you need a magnifying glass to read what's coming on TV. And instead of all the days of the week having its own TV Highlight section, all the TV highlights of the week are now jammed together into one section. What is TV Guide trying to accomplish with this sudden change? They should just give up and stick to online listings.

It's just amazing how stupid Paula Abdul sounds everytime she opens her mouth on American Idol. Seriously what in the world is wrong with this woman? Is she on something? I mean every time she critiques someone's performance s just suddenly stops talking in mid-sentence like she forgot what she was going to say. And this is someone's opinion that American Idol contestants should take it seriously? Not only that but she is always afraid to tell someone the truth who had a bad performance and just compliments their outfit instead. This isn't Top Model or a fashion show. I know there is another woman that can replace her since she is nothing but a buffoon who Simon and Randy makes fun of every week.

I'm so sick of seeing the promos for Dancing with the Stars which I'm surprised hasn't been played out yet. Exactly how many more new dances can someone do on that show that viewers haven't seen yet? Hasn't everything been done that can be seen on a dance floor? So I guess the intrigue for this show is the NEW faces each season instead of the new dance moves. Maybe they will plan another collapse this season by one of the dancers to keep it fresh?

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (March 25); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today week we take a look at Warner Home Video's The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show: The Complete Series. The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show was about Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm of The Flintstones in their teenage years. The whole gang is still there, though...Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty. Sitcom stars Sally Struthers and Jay North provide the voices for Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm.. See my mini-DVD review of The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show: The Complete Series:

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show: The Complete Series (Warner, $26.98) brings us those two lovable toddlers from The Flintstones back in a series when they are teenagers in high school. Sitcom stars Sally Struthers (All in the Family) and Jay North (Dennis the Menace) provide the voices for these two teenagers in this series, with the classic voices of Fred (Alan Reed), Barney (Mel Blanc), and Wilma (Jean Vander Pyl) all back from the original series! Gay Hartwig provides the voice of Betty in this series. She also would do the voice of Betty throughout the '70s in various Flintstones incarnations. In this series though Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are the stars and you see them with their teenage friends Moonrock, Penny, and Wiggy. Cindy and Fabian play their rivals. The show ran for 16 half-hour episodes in the 1971-72 season. The show returned for 4 more episodes as part of The Flintstone Comedy Show in 1972-73.
Let's now move on to the packaging. We have a thin outer box that holds a very thin digipak case, similar to the recent Smurfs release. The front cover of both the box and case are the same, we see Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm in a car with their friends Moonrock, Penny and Wiggy. Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection is on the top in a green background. The title of the show is below that in a little rock-style billboard, with a mention below that that this is The Complete Series! On the bottom it says 2 discs...16 episodes. To the back of the box we go, we get a nice synopsis of the series in a brown billboard type with Fred coming out of it (Pebbles is right by it, too), along with a list of the special features in a little rock. We also see Bamm-Bamm lying down below the billboard. When we open the case, on the left we have a disc-by-disc breakdown of what we can expect episode title wise and extras wise. The left also has a nice purplish background with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm playing instruments. On the right side, we see both discs...overlapping each other, ugh...I hate that. Both discs are colorful and feature a Bedrock setting...Pebbles is on disc one and Bam-Bamm on disc two. When you remove both discs from the case, you see their friends playing instruments. The back of the case has another nice Bedrock setting with other characters such as the Grusomes even.
The menu screens are very nice. But first, auto trailers for Dr. Seuss, Smurfs starts off disc one before the main menu comes. Options for the main menu are: Play, Episodes, Trailers (disc 1 only), Languages, Bonus Episodes (disc 2 only). We also have the theme song playing in the background. Trailers has more shows to preview from the Warner library, including Flintstones seasons 2, 3 and 4 DVD trailers. Languages has an option to turn on English subtitles. Episodes have a list of episodes obviously.
The video and audio is very good. I'm not sure if these are remastered, like Smurfs were, but it sure looks good! The show ran for 16 episodes as its own series. Those episodes run 20 minutes. Highest is 20:03 and lowest is 19:44, but most are 19:59/20:00. There are no chapter stops for these. I hate when we don't get chapter stops. Also, we get the orange H-B Taft logo after the end of the credits along with the swirling H-B logo. The bonus episodes are on disc two under Bonus Episodes (as stated above). These four episodes ran during segments on The Flintstone Comedy Show (AKA The Flintstone Comedy Hour). The first bonus episode runs 21:30, and features two mini-episodes, so we get 2 chapter stops. These feature Pebbles & Bamm Show opening and closing credits. The final two bonus episodes run 11:59 and 11:44 and feature opening and closing credits that says The Flintstone Comedy Show. Nice to see that!
I highly do recommend this set for any Flintstones fan, fan of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm and classic animation in general. I'm sure many of us grew up with The Flintstones, but have never seen this series. It comes on from time to time on Boomerang and has been played on Cartoon Network as well. I've seen a few episodes only but am glad I have the complete series on DVD!. The set is good and it probably is as good as it could get. I'm glad they included those 4 episodes from The Flintstone Comedy Show, so we have every single episode of this incarnation. So we have The Flintstones complete on DVD and now The Pebbles & Bamm Show. So if the pattern continues, I bet we get The Flintstone Comedy Hour/Show on DVD next! There were so many TV series that followed (Fred Flintstone and Friends, The Flintstone Kids, etc), TV specials (The Flintstones: Little Big League, The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling, etc) and TV movies (Jetsons Meet the Flintstones, A Flintstones Christmas Carol, etc) from this series, so I hope Warner realizes that and gives them all to us, because I'm sure any Flintstone fan would want them all. But for now, let's join in on the teenage fun of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm on this series on DVD! Give it a chance and we might get every incarnation of the Flintstone family on DVD! Yabba Dabba Do!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, March 15, 2008
"Media Overboard on Spitzer Case; Page 6 a Joke; BET Screws Up"
By Solomon Davis

The media coverage of the girl who was with New York Governor Spitzer in February has just been crazy this week and I want to know when is it going to end? They have been digging into this girl's life all-week because she is good looking and I know most people don't care where she went to high school and where she grew up in New Jersey. She seems to be getting good with this story as her music has been played and she might be posing for magazines. And because of who she slept with she will probably become famous and get her own reality show in the fall of 2008 titled How To Get Politicians in Bed or something.

Page Six in the NY Post reported on Thursday that The Rachel Ray Show could be probably be canceled due to low ratings and it turns out that was a false report. A representative from King World stated that the show did very well during the February sweeps period and that the show is under contract until 2010, which means it's not going anywhere. So I can no longer read Page Six because not only did they get the Rachel Ray story wrong, they also were wrong about King World syndicating a show for Marie Osmond in 2010 which made the entire Page Six article on Thursday a waste of eyesight. Why post gossip crap on a newspaper? I can understand the Enquirer, but the Post?

BET has been the cable channel of the month with their recent pickups and has not done a good job presenting the shows to viewers. However, recently they used the wrong closing credits for part 2 of a Diff'rent Strokes crossover episode with Hello, Larry. TNN never did that when they aired Diff'rent Strokes in 2001 so why is BET doing it in 2008? Maybe Sony has something to do with it, I'm snot sure. And with the show Thea, BET aired the first episode two weekends in a row for some reason. They did air episode 2 last weekend in one of the four slots, but episode one aired three times last weekend, in addition to the two times it aired the previous weekend. On the listings it said we were supposed to get episodes 2 and 3, but instead we got episode 1 three times and episode 2 once. So I'm really interested in seeing what episode of Thea they air this weekend and hope it's not episode 2 three times like they did episode one the previous week.

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DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Reviews: South Park: Imaginationland and Lil' Bush Season 1 (March 11); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we take a look at Comedy Central/Paramount's South Park: Imaginationland and Lil' Bush: Season One. South Park of course is the popular cable animated series that is full of laughs for all ages. Join Cartman and the gang for all the holiday fun. Get your hats & coats on! And Lil' Bush is the hilarious Comedy Central animated series about George W. Bush when he was lil'. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Christmas Time in South Park and Lil' Bush: Season One:

South Park: Imaginationland (Comedy Central DVD, $19.99) tells us the story of how a few boys in South Park protected all of our imaginations from the hostile forces of terrorists--or something along those lines! The DVD contains the three-part episode of the Comedy Central hit series that aired last time, presented as one extended length episode.
The story of the episode begins with a bet between Cartman and Kyle about whether or not leprechauns are real...and just as we would expect from a series such as South Park, it turns out that, yes, they are indeed real. Well, at least they are in Imaginationland, where the boys all get taken away to by a very strange man. All is well in Imaginationland until terrorists take over, and of course, Butters is left behind as the other boys quickly flee the scene. How will it all end? Will Imaginationland be nuked? Will Butters be safe? Will Kyle actually follow through on his bet, where he promises Cartman that he would suck a certain body part of his if it turns out that leprechauns are real? The only way to find out is to watch!
The DVD offers a little bit more than just the Imaginationland trilogy, however. It does offer two storyboard featuettes, as well as two bonus episodes of the series that relate to the theme of the Imaginationland episode: "Woodland Critters Christmas" and "Manbearpig." Both of these revolve around characters that may very well be imaginary, or not. And, Matt Stone and Trey Parker provide a commentary for those that are interested in that. Their commentaries aren't all that exciting usually, but it is still interesting. And, as a bonus (or maybe warning for some) about the movie itself, it is worth noting that the DVD uses a slightly different audio track than what was on television, so don't be surprised to hear a few f-words here and there! Fans will definitely want to head on up to South Park and get this DVD set...imagine how much fun you'll have watching it!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Lil' Bush: Season One (Comedy Central DVD, $19.99) brings all six season one episodes of the Comedy Central series Lil' Bush to a single DVD release. You know about George W. Bush, but this series gives you a chance to meet him (in animated form, of course) when he was little, along with Lil' Condi, Lil' Cheney, Lil' Rummy, Lil' Jeb, and even Lil' Hillary and Lil' Obama... it is almost like The Flintstone Kids!
There are lots of great episodes in the first season. We get to see the gang take a little trip... to Iraq in "Iraq." The kids all go to a summer camp run by Al Qaeda in "Camp." Lil' Bush and Lil' Tony Blair become close--very close in "Gay Friend." The kids learn the beauty of using Mexican immigrants in "Mexicans." Lil' Bush has a problem with evolution in "Evolution." Lil' Bush ends up battling Michael Moore in "Hot Dog." And there is even a bonus unaired episode called "Walter Reed," which you'll understand why it didn't air when you see it on the DVD!
The DVD has more bonus features than just the bonus episode, though. We get to see Lil' Bush take us on the tour of the White House--or at least the one HE lives in on one of these. We have plenty of interviews with the cast members, which in my opinion aren't all that exciting, but still somewhat interesting. We even get to see a table read of a script in one of the bonus features. But forget all of that. The best part would be the commentaries that are included on the episode. We have relevant people giving commentaries on three different episodes. One from Jerry Springer, another from Ralph Nader, and another from Tucker Carlson! Who would have thought that such politically relevant figures would give commentaries on a DVD like this? It gives a very interesting insight onto the episodes that you almost wouldn't expect. All in all, this is a great DVD, and anybody that loves politics, whether you love Bush or hate him, should find this to be a very funny series.
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4.5/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, March 8, 2008
"Gene Simmons; Carsey-Werner DVDs; ESPN and LeBron James"
By Solomon Davis

Every Tuesday night I watch Parking Wars on A&E at 10pm but this past Tuesday the network played the program switch game. There was no new episode of Parking Wars at 10pm because of a new show called Gene Simmons? I guess A&E is just another cable network that likes to surprise viewers instead of mentioning program changes ahead of time. And I also would like to know what is so interesting about KISS star Gene Simmons? I don't even really know who he is!

Just recently I bought season 5 of Carsey-Werner's The Cosby Show on DVD and noticed the episode guide was incomplete on the set. It was just a list of all the episodes with no descriptions or airdates. How would people know what the episodes are about? Why would Carsey-Werner and FirstLook Home Entertainment not include a decent episode guide when the DVD sets are not for free? This is a lazy way to put a set together when fans are paying their money. At least Warner Brothers included a decent episode guide with airdates and episode descriptions for shows I have like George Lopez and Fresh Prince. Let's just say I won't be in the rush to buy seasons 7 and 8 of The Cosby Show in April.

On Wednesday night, NBA star LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers scored 50 points at Madison Square Garden against the hapless New York Knicks and ESPN showed a video clip of security guards aggressively removing a fan off the court who had gotten too close to LeBron James. ESPN's video had viewers thinking the fan was trying to ATTACK LeBron instead of congratulating him. I would have never known that if it weren't for other outlets who covered the story such as MSNBC because the people at that network were smart enough to notice that the fan was not trying to HARM LeBron especially since he was wearing a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey.

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DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Fox Mid-Season Pilot Review: Unhitched - Premieres March 2; Solomon's Weekly Rant

Today instead of our regular Saturday Mini-DVD Review we have a pilot review for a new sitcom premiering tomorrow on Fox! We still have Solomon's Weekly Rant right below the review, so not to fret!



Unhitched - Sundays at 9:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres March 2 at 9:30PM ET/PT

Dating in your 20s is like going to the farmers’ market – if you get there early, there’s plenty of fruit, all ripe, juicy and yours for the taking. But dating in your 30s is like getting there at closing time. The remaining fruit has been sitting in the sun all day. It’s been dropped, squeezed and handled by a thousand different people.

From the creatively fruitful minds of the Farrelly Brothers (Something About Mary, Dumb & Dumber, Stuck on You), UNHITCHED follows a group of newly single friends living in Boston and learning the painful lessons of starting over in their 30s. They’d all love to get remarried, if they could just find their true loves.

JACK “GATOR” GATELY (Craig Bierko) is a charismatic, optimistic guy who never expected to be single again. But now that he is, he’s determined to make the best of it until he finds “the one.”

Joining Gator in bachelorhood redux are his best friends: thrice-divorced TOMMY (Johnny Sneed), the founder and brewmaster of an upstart microbrewery, who has a voracious appetite for food, beer and women; and DR. FREDDY SAHGAL (Shaun Majumder), a successful surgeon who can execute a triple bypass in his sleep, but is all thumbs when it comes to the opposite sex.

Rounding out the group is KATE (Rashida Jones), a smart, successful attorney who handled all three of the boys’ divorces. Having just turned 30, Kate finds herself dumped after a seven-year engagement and reluctantly joins the guys in negotiating the treacherous waters of dating. With Kate owning the brownstone next to Gator’s, this pair, over time, may find that “the one” is just a brick wall away.

UNHITCHED is a 20th Century Fox Television production in association with Conundrum Entertainment and Watson Pond Productions. Bobby and Peter Farrelly directed the pilot and serve as executive producers. Bradley Thomas, Brad Johnson and Mike Sikowitz are executive producers. Chris Pappas and Michael Bernier are co-executive producers.

Cast Details:

Craig Bierko as Jack "Gator" Gately, Rashida Jones as Kate, Johnny Sneed as Tommy, Shaun Majumder as Dr. Freddy Sahgal.

Craig Bierko (Jack "Gator" Gately) - A versatile performer in both comedy and drama on the stage and screen, Craig Bierko’s Broadway debut as Harold Hill in Meredith Willson’s legendary The Music Man garnered him critical acclaim and attention; he was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama League Award, and received the Theater World Award. Bierko’s television credits include a recurring role on Boston Legal as well as memorable guest appearances on Nip/Tuck and Sex and the City. He also guest-starred on Ally McBeal and as Paul Reiser's prospective agent on Mad About You.

Rashida Jones (Kate) - Rashida Jones has quickly established herself as one of Hollywood’s bright young stars. Jones portrayed ambitious saleswoman “Karen Filippelli” in the Emmy Award-winning comedy The Office, opposite Steve Carell. Jones starred on FOX’s Boston Public as “Louisa Fenn” and in the cable drama Wanted as Detective Carla Merced. Her television credits also include Freaks and Geeks, If These Walls Could Talk 2, The Chappelle Show, Second Opinion and the British television series NY-LON. Jones also was a weekly correspondent on the talk show Vibe TV.

Johnny Sneed (Tommy) - A native of Gulfport, MS, Johnny Sneed left his home and his career as a lawyer in 2001 to pursue acting in Los Angeles, landing roles on both the big and small screens. Sneed was seen in the Farrelly brothers’ feature comedy The Heartbreak Kid, opposite Ben Stiller. Sneed also starred in The Farrelly Brothers’ film Fever Pitch. His television credits include House, CSI and CSI: NY, Boston Legal, ER and My Name is Earl.

Shaun Majumder (Dr. Freddy Sahgal) - Raised in Burlington, Newfoundland, Canada, Gemini Award-winning actor and comedian Shaun Majumder co-starred in the feature films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, The Ladies Man, Pushing Tin and Purpose. Majumder was a series regular on the Canadian comedy series This Hour has 22 Minutes. Additional television credits include roles on Season Six of 24, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Relic Hunter and John Woo's Once a Thief.

Pilot Plot:

We have received the first two episodes of this sitcom, "Pilot" and "Woman Marries Horse."

"Pilot" - March 2, 2008
In the series premiere, Jack "Gator" Gately finds himself ill-prepared to re-enter the dating scene as a blind date goes bananas for him; his friend and neighbor Kate finds big things come in small packages when she dates a member of the Boston Celtics; and Indian-born Dr. Freddy learns that love isn't cheap with the woman of your dreams.
Writer: Kevin Barnett, Mike Bernier, Chris Pappas
Director: Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly
Guest star: Paul Pierce (Himself), Ryan Gomes (Himself), Eliza Coupe (Julia), Lauren Bowles (Annie), Kate Hodge (Katherine), Erinn Bartlett (Nikki), Ben Giroux (Tim), Dan Murphy (Herb)

"Woman Marries Horse" - March 9, 2008
Gator is hung up on his new girlfriend's minor physical flaw, leading Tommy to take drastic measures. Freddy befriends a bouncer; Kate dates a musician whose talents are not what they seem.
Guest star: Christina Moore (Barbara), Reid Scott (Bobby), Daron Fordham (Alonzo)

Analysis:

Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly and Mike Sikowitz serve as executive producers alongside Brad Johnson and Bradley Thomas, with Katy McCaffrey producing. The pilot was directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly. They reportedly had a budget of $3 million to shoot the pilot. The show was originally titled "The Rules for Starting Over," but perhaps they thought that was too similar to CBS's "Rules of Engagement." Fox originally ordered 13 episodes, but due to the strike only 6 were shot and will air this season.

If you've seen some of the Farrelly brothers movies, you know they put a lot of sight gags into their films. There are some in the first two episodes, but not as many as I expected. Another trademark of their films is that they put a lot of heart into the stories. That is also evident here. The pilot episode begins with a funny scene between Gator and his date. If you saw Craig Bierko on Jimmy Kimmel Live, you saw this clip involving an orangutan. Talk about the show starting off with a bang... an oranguabang! The rest of the cast is also solid. I loved Rashida Jones on The Office. She plays a different type of character here. Her comedic timing is great. I'm not too familiar with Johnny Sneed or Shaun Majumder, but they do a decent job in the first couple of episodes. The cast appears to have developed some good chemistry. The characters they play are likable, realistic and relatable.

This is a single-camera comedy that is shot without a studio audience. There is no laugh track. The show features a catchy opening main title theme called "Hey" by Timothy Alan Pagotta and Ryan Gilmor. There are also several songs by various artists used in the first two episodes. Boston is the location for the show. In the pilot episode, Rashida Jones (Kate) goes to a Celtics game with her date. Paul Pierce and Ryan Gomes make cameo appearances. You can tell this pilot was shot last spring because Gomes is now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Conclusion:

I've always been a fan of the Farrelly brothers movies. Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, There's Something About Mary and Fever Pitch are among my favorites. This is their first real attempt at television. These episodes feel more like mini movies than a traditional sitcom. There are some sight gags and montages. I wonder if this show could be improved a bit if they did some of the writing instead of just being executive producers. The show could use a little quicker pace and more funny jokes.

Fox will be airing 6 episodes on Sunday nights. I'm not sure how this live-action comedy will fit in with Fox's animated comedies. They've never really had a lot of success with them on Sunday nights in recent years. I think this show would have a better chance at developing an audience if it premiered after American Idol or if it was paired with another comedy such as Back to You or 'Til Death. This show may not be the next Seinfeld or Friends, but it could become a minor hit if it is given a chance to develop. With the way the show is set up, there should be a lot of guest stars. It will be interesting to see who appears in episodes 3-6. The first two episodes feature a bevy of beauties.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 03/01/08

Discuss the show after you watch it on Sunday on our message board.

Related Links:

FOX.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Unhitched Photo Gallery

---

Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, March 1, 2008
"ION Hits a New Low; Stop The Crying On Idol; Fox's Poor Handling of Back to You"
By Solomon Davis

Can you believe that ION has been airing episodes this past week with an unclear view? The picture looked like someone already recorded the episode from another TV station and mailed the tape to ION and they just put in the tape and hit play, at least on my ION affiliate. First it was the editing, then the strange TV show pickups of 2008, and now crappy picture quality, which is very unacceptable for viewers who pay a monthly cable bill. I just want to say, "great work once again" by the ION programming staff.

Why do the girls on American Idol get emotional every time someone gets eliminated off American Idol? You mean to tell me they didn't know that an elimination was every week? I just think it's so dumb to get emotional when you know that someone will be gone each week of the American Idol season. I have news for the remaining females on American Idol, "THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ELIMINATION NEXT THURSDAY SO GET OVER IT!!"

Why did Fox have to air the first new episode of Back to You on a Tuesday night? It threw me off because I missed Wednesday's episode because I'm only used to seeing one episode of Back to You during the week not two days in a row. Fox could have aired one new episode this past week and one next week or could have aired both episodes on the same night...why do they need two nights of 90-minute American Idol's? They don't have 90-minutes for next week! So on top of missing Wednesday's new episode of Back to You I now have to wait 7 weeks to see the next new episode, because Fox likes to play mind games...they should have held these two episodes until they start again in 7 weeks! Thanks a lot Fox!

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: The Smurfs - Season 1, Volume 1 (Feb. 26); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today week we take a look at Warner Home Video's The Smurfs: Season 1, Volume 1. The Smurfs of course is the classic Saturday morning animated series about those little blue people. Smurftastic!. See my mini-DVD review of The Smurfs: Season 1, Volume 1:

The Smurfs: Season 1, Volume 1 (Warner, $26.98) brings us the classic Saturday morning animated series that lasted nearly a decade, on DVD for the first time and the episodes are remastered. The long wait is over...The Smurfs are on DVD for the first time ever! They're finally here! Handy, Hefty, Grouchy, Brainy, Lazy, Dreamy, Smurfette, Papa Smurf and more of your favorite little blue people bring you the greatest show on Smurf. It's Season One, Vol. 1 of The Smurfs, the Emmy-winning animated series [Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series 1982-83] that delighted Saturday morning cartoon fans for nearly a decade. Of course, where Smurfs are, you'll also find evil wizard Gargamel and his cat Azrael - plus monsters, dragons and trolls - keeping the Smurfs on their tiny blue toes throughout 19 cartoon escapades. Ready for adventure, laughs and enchantment? Abso-Smurfly!
Let's now move on to the packaging. We have a thin outer box that holds a very thin digipak case. The front cover of both the box and case are the same, we see the land of Smurf in the background in a nice and blue sky with Papa Smurf and Smurfette featured, while the other Smurfs are at work. The cover is red and blue. The title of the show is on the top, with a mention below that that this is Season One, Volume One! To the back of the box we go, we get a nice synopsis of the series, along with a list of the special features in a mushroom. We see one of the Smurfs sleeping below a tree with the evil Gargamel watching. When we open the case, we get more colorful backgrounds. On the left we have a disc-by-disc breakdown of what we can expect episode title wise and extras wise. The left also has a nice blue sky background with Gargamel after two Smurfs in the grass. On the right side, we see both discs...overlapping each other, ugh...I hate that. Both discs are in a white background with four Smurfs characters on each disc. When you remove both discs from the case, you can see a nice background of the land of Smurf, with nearly all of the Smurfs. The back of the case has another nice background with a blue sky and Smurfette being romanced by a Smurf, Romeo & Juliet style.
The menu screens are very nice. We see the land of Smurf in the background with Gargamel approaching. It is very colorful. The catchy theme is playing in the background. Auto trailer for Looney Tunes starts off disc one before the main menu comes. Options for the main menu are: Play, Episodes, Trailers (disc 1 only), Languages , Special Features (disc 2 only). Trailers has five other things to preview from the Warner library. Languages has an option to turn on English subtitles. Episodes have a list of episodes obviously. Now the packaging listed disc two as being double-sided, but it is not. Very strange.
The video and audio is tremendous. The Smurfs never looked better. The packaging states that the episodes are remastered I am very impressed. Warner did a great job on this once again, but not as good as the Charlie Brown remastering, but still good. Originally season one was an hour long show on Saturdays with three mini episodes in the hour, however after about 2-3 episodes they started to repeat one of the mini episodes from the previous week the following week so they can cover the full hour. So it makes no sense on this DVD to have some repeats of a mini episode, so Warner has removed the repeats. The first two episodes on the set are 47:40 and 47:42 and have 3 chapter stops each, for each mini episode. After that, NBC started to repeat a mini episode. The episodes usually lasted approx. 12 min, 12 min, and 24 min or so for the full hour. Episode 3 on this set is 35:42 with 2 chapter stops, which means only 2 mini episodes are here...so no repeat from the previous week. The 4th episode is 23:37 and has one chapter stop, which means just one episode. On to disc two, episode 5 is 34:12 and has no opening or closing theme. The next episode is 24:30 and has no closing. The rest of the episodes run 35:42, 35:40, 25:32, and the bonus episode runs 24:22. I don't know how they could have handled this, but they are splitting season one in half (meaning in two volumes), so they could have just left the repeats in there so we could get the original NBC versions. I know that would be weird to have repeats, but why split them up in two volumes anyway? I would have rather have season 1 in full without the repeats on 4 or 5 discs...that would work the best and it would have fit. The show has like 9 seasons, splitting them up in two volumes per season would be too much.
As for special features, we get the bonus episode (The Smurfs' Springtime Special), as I mentioned earlier. We also get a Smurfs Music Video that runs 1:27. It is not really an extra. Warner could have done so much better than that. Their animation sets usually have great audio commentaries which is missing here.
I highly do recommend this set for any Smurfs fan and classic animation in general. I'm sure many of us grew up with this classic. I know I loved watching this in the 80s...and I still love it. The set is good, but it could have been so much better. The extras are lacking and the episode situation is a mixed bag...I don't know how I would have handled it, but one thing for sure is I would not have split the season in two volumes. Also, I didn't like inside the case it mentioned disc two is double-sided, which it isn't. Other than that, the episodes are great and look great, too. I can't wait until volume two so we can finish off the first season. Then let's hope the sales are very high (I think they already are as this set is very high in the rankings on Amazon) so we can get the remaining seasons each on one volume instead of two. So click below to order this DVD, if you haven't already. You better hurry before that Gargamel sees you and his lazy cat Azrael. Smurf to it!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
The Smurfs TV.com Page
The Smurfs Official Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, February 23, 2008
"Malcolm Airs More Than Strokes; Too Early for DTV Switch Notice; Amen Returns to TV One"
By Solomon Davis

I applauded BET this past week for adding Diff'rent Strokes to their program schedule but then I noticed something odd. I noticed that the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, another show that BET just added, has six airings a day while Diff'rent Strokes only has 2 airings. So why does that show get all this great treatment and it was added at the same time as Diff'rent Strokes? I see no reason why Diff'rent Strokes can't have a repeat airing of the morning episodes which would still be less than six airings a day. I'm very confused as to why BET would treat one of its new acquisitions much better than the other. especially since I think Malcolm & Eddie is nothing but a UPN reject from the 1990's which is definitely not on the entertainment level as Diff'rent Strokes. I am happy they are adding Sanford and Thea to weekends, though!

The last time I checked February 17, 2009 was a year away and from the way the media has been talking about television switching to digital you would think today is January 23, 2009. Why all the hype about DTV now when the switch is 12 months away? It would make more sense to talk about DTV in the Fall 2008 but to see all those commercials about it in early 2008 is just crazy, not to mention the commercials were airing in Fall 2007 as well. Everyone understands that this will be a major move in television but can we just wait until the next TV season to remind everyone that the switch to digital is approaching? The strange thing about all of this is someone who doesn't have cable or a converter box on February 18, 2009 will still be able to get one of those things on February 19, 2009 to watch TV so what is the big deal?

TV One hasn't changed at all since it started and going by their recent TV show change they have no intention on ever changing. Why in the world would they bring back a TV show to their schedule next month that they already had? TV One is actually bringing back Amen next month from hiatus which is no where near a sexy TV show acquisition of what BET just did. TV One fans have seen Amen already and it's time for something new now since this network just completed 4 years as a cable channel. Yeah, The Hughleys are coming in April, but what about bringing on The Jeffersons or something? Thank goodness for the network called BET since that station has the ability now to make TV fans feel thankful for having cable service and not the "ripped off" feeling you get from watching that joke of a station called TV One. This channel is definitely qualified to be on the basic cable package since it doesn't have much to offer TV fans on a year by year basis.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Feb. 19); Solomon's Weekly Rant: Cavemen; Oprah and Cosby Show; Roger Clemens Coverage

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today week we take a look at Warner Home Video's It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown of course is the classic holiday special about Easter. This series always gave us classic holiday specials for just about every holiday. See my mini-DVD review of It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown:

It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown - Remastered Deluxe Edition (Warner, $19.98) brings us the classic 1974 Easter-themed episode on DVD once again, but this time digitally remastered...and it is really worth it! Plus in addition to Easter, we also get the Arbor Day special. Spring is certainly in the air.
If you have never seen this special, it is about Linus who tries to tell everyone that the Easter Beagle will take care of everything during Easter. Will he be right? You'll have to see yourself. We also get the classic 1976 special It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown. In that story we have baseball season starting and Arbor Day upon us. The gang goes eco-friendly and plant trees...but do they over do it?
Let's now move on to the packaging. We have a thin outer box that holds a very thin case, that is movie style. I never understood the reason for the thin box that holds a thin case...what's the point? Also, both the back and front of each is exactly the same, except the box is shinier. The cover is purple in color, and has Charlie Brown, Linus, and Snoopy with easter eggs. The title of the easter special is on the top, with a mention that this is a remastered deluxe edition! The bottom tells is we also get a bonus TV special...Arbor Day. To the back we go, we get a nice synopsis of the Easter special, along with a list of the special features. Easter eggs are flying all over as we see Lucy, Snoopy and the little yellow bird...Woodstock. When we open the case, we get black background all over, very plain, but of course the disc is inside. The disc is in purple and has Sally and Snoopy playing with yes, Easter eggs.
The menu screen has options of Features, Special Features, and Languages. We get a light blue background this time, not the purple we were used to already, with the theme song playing in the background. It is so catchy. Oh yes, before the main menu begins we get auto trailers for Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and The Wiggles. Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown came out on DVD with a remastered version last month, but unfortunately we didn't get a copy for review. Anyway back to the menu, when we select something, we see an egg as a pointer. For Languages, we can have either English, Espanol, or Portugues. For subtitles we have those three again and also Chinese, Korean, and Thai...wow! The Features section has the two specials listed, we can also select Play All to play both back-to-back. Finally, Special Features lists the extra (more on that below) and Trailers.
The video and audio is tremendous. It has never looked better or sounded better ever. I am very impressed. Warner did a great job on this. Easter special runs 25:02 and has 5 chapter stops, which you an use via your DVD remote. The Arbor Day special runs 25:05 and has 4 chapter stops. Both specials look amazing...especially the Easter one. Kudos once again to Warner. Here is hoping they do more...I kind of wish I had gotten Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.
As for special features, we get a nice featurette! It is titled "In Full Bloom: Peanuts at Easter" and runs 15:32. We find out lots of behind-the-scenes details and cool facts for the Easter special from members of the Schulz family and more. Interviewed are Lee Mendelson (Producer), Phil Cousineau (Author), Stephen Pastis (Cartoonist), Cathy Guisewhite (Cartoonist), Jean Schulz (Charles Schulz's wife), and Craig Schulz (Charles Schulz's son).
I highly do recommend this set for any Charlie Brown-Peanuts fan and classic animation in general. I have never seen a classic animated program look this good on DVD ever. Warner really needs to remaster every special for this wonderful franchise and put it on DVD. We got 3 specials on the Valentine's DVD and two more here on the Easter DVD. Let's hope Christmas, Thanksgiving is next, but I just wonder if Warner has the rights to all these now or does Paramount have some still? So I know it is still the middle of February, but it is never too early to think of the spring and Easter (but I am a fan of winter)...so I urge you to buy this DVD before little Woodstock beats you to it! And he can't even talk right!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Charlie Brown Official Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, February 16, 2008
"Cavemen Didn't Get Enough Time; Oprah's Audience Get Cosby Show DVDs; Roger Clemens Story On All-Week"
By Solomon Davis

Why is the new sitcom Caveman not returning when the show wasn't really given a fair chance to grab viewers? The show only aired 4 times in October and twice in November and it's GONE? 7 unaired episodes remain. ABC knows that this wasn't a typical TV season with the strike going on and it is mind boggling that they still decide to not bring back the show this season. Lots of people need more than 6 episodes to determine whether or not they like a show and pulling a show after only 6 airings is a joke. The show was just starting to turn around and become interesting before it was pushed to the side for those classic Charlie Brown holiday specials. All I have to say is ABC gave this show the "red-headed step child" treatment and it's really a shame the show could be gone for good.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing at the end of Oprah this week when she had The Cosby Show kids reunion on earlier this week which falls into the "HUH?" category? The crowd was given both seasons 7 and 8 on DVD while everyone else in the country will have to wait until April 8 when it is officially out. She couldn't give the crowd anything else besides that? Now the rest of The Cosby Show fans have 7 more weeks until they we get those DVDs because we weren't apart of Oprah's audience. I mean this really sucks because season 6 on DVD was so unwatchable because of the Olivia focused episodes and knowing those people will be watching season 7 this month before me makes me want to puke. Oprah could have given away the single-disc "best of DVD" that is already out, not the DVD's that I can't see until April. This is what I get for even watching Oprah because if I hadn't, I would have not known about this unfair news.

I know it's real easy to just change the channel when you don't want to hear or watch a certain story on a particular network and that's exactly what I did this week. I made every effort to stay away from the Roger Clemens steroid story on ESPN but that still didn't work because it interrupted regular scheduled programming on ESPNews at 6:30pm. That's when the repeat of Pardon the Interruption comes on and because of this Roger Clemens mess all week I didn't get to see PTI on Wednesday night. I wish this story will just go away because even though it's a major sports story, ESPN acts like there are no other sports to discuss in the sports world and just made the 6pm SportsCenter, "ClemensCenter" all-week long and right now I don't know what hate I more, the story or ESPN.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Nick at Nite Changes; Weird ION; Barkley Needs To Go from TNT

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we take a look at MPI Home Video's Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work. Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work gives viewers a look back at one of the pioneers of television, Jackie Gleason, and his popular television series, The Jackie Gleason Show. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work:

Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work (MPI, $19.98) gives viewers a look back at one of the pioneers of television, Jackie Gleason, and his popular television series, The Jackie Gleason Show. The documentary is a 55 minute special that was produced for public television in 2005.
Many classic TV fans tend to remember Jackie Gleason's character of Ralph Kramden and the television series, The Honeymooners, but this retrospective tells much more about Jackie Gleason's television work, and how his show was much more than just The Honeymooners. Of course, that is an important part of his work, but there is much more. This documentary isn't like most other documentaries though. Instead of getting a bunch of interviews with a few clips in between, we mostly get a bunch of clips with a few interviews in between... which allows us to actually see first hand the work of Gleason without it being totally covered with views from people that are merely fans of his work. Who actually remembers Rudy the Repairman? What about Joe the Bartender? Or Fenwick Babbitt? In this documentary, you actually get a chance to see sketches from these characters, and not just brief clips either, but instead full length sketches as they were intended to air. Jeff Garlin hosts the documentary with Marilyn Taylor Gleason (Jackie Gleason's widow) also providing her own views on her husband's show... a show that she herself performed on at times.
The DVD isn't totally without special features either. We get excerpts (too bad it isn't the full thing, we actually only get about 15 minutes total) from the episode of The Jackie Gleason Show celebrating his 25th anniversary in show business. Honestly, it was a little boring to watch (an actual episode of the series that wasn't celebrating the anniversary would have been more interesting to watch), but we get more insight on Jackie Gleason's varying characters in the excerpts that we have from this episode.
This is a great DVD that fans of Jackie Gleason are sure to appreciate, and even if you aren't that big of a fan of "the great one," it still allows you to see a side of Jackie Gleason that gets omitted in these days where we all think Jackie Gleason was nothing more than Ralph Kramden. I would have liked to have seen more from these other characters, but what we have here gives a great "sampler platter" for all those that are even slightly interested.
Also out on DVD soon, The Color Honeymooners - Volume 2. See our review.
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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The Jackie Gleason Show TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, February 9, 2008
"Nick at Nite Changes; Weird ION; Barkley Needs To Go from TNT"
By Solomon Davis

What is with all these sudden changes on the channel called Nick at Nite?? It seems like the network is becoming unpredictable in a bad way with the way the program schedule suddenly switches up without warning. Earlier this week the programming manager changed the overnight schedule while he was driving home in his car and that's why the Tanner family was on my TV screen at 3am in the morning instead of Will Smith. No heads up or anything... just a new programming schedule so someone who may have wanted to record a show at 3am while they were sleeping would have recorded Full House instead. Not only that but the original plan by Nick at Nite to launch Family Matters in March has now been moved to June right at the start of the summer season. Maybe Nick at Nite's next sudden move can be to have a preschool theme marathon with The Cosby Show and Full House airing back to back all night hosted by Raven Symone and the Olsen twins so we can see episodes featuring Olivia and Michelle Tanner. It will be like Nick Jr. at night.

ION has decided to make a change on its schedule. They will replace a sitcom with a drama? Why can't the network have a separate day for dramas and keep the weekly primetime schedule the way it is with all sitcoms? No but ION decides to replace Who's the Boss with Baywatch at 10pm starting in March when they could have easily put another 80's sitcom in that slot or a sitcom from any other decade. Baywatch is more of a Saturday evening type of program... not something that you would watch during the week in primetime. This show will not last long in that slot and maybe then ION will not make a change like this in the future. Replacing Who's the Boss with Baywatch is like TV Land replacing Sanford and Son with Hawaii Five-0. I bet in the month of April ION's next acquisition will be Beverly Hills, 90210 and it will replace Alice in the 7pm hour.

I can no longer stomach the speech of Charles Barkley on the TNT halftime show. Barkley has become a total bore when watching that show because he takes forever to get to the point when he is analyzing a game. He speaks very slow and sometimes stutters andeven the host Ernie Johnson gets impatient and wants Barkley to hurry up and get to the point he is trying to make. It's clear that Barkely just like to hear himself talk and he doesn't realize he is slowing the show down and putting the viewers to sleep. I just wish he would stop talking like he is home on the phone instead of on live TV because he is destroying the watchability of the halftime show. However, he is at least better than Emmitt Smith on ESPN. He doesn't know how to use words at all. Time to go back to speech class for him.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

CBS Mid-Season Pilot Review: Welcome to The Captain - Premieres February 4; Solomon's Weekly Rant

Today instead of our regular Saturday Mini-DVD Review we have a pilot review for a new sitcom premiering Monday on CBS! We still have Solomon's Weekly Rant right below the review, so not to fret!



Welcome to The Captain - Mondays at 8:30PM ET/PT on CBS
Premieres February 4 at 8:30PM ET/PT

Welcome to The Captain is a comedy about a wildly eclectic group of people whose lives are intertwined through the place they all call home, a fabled Hollywood apartment building, El Capitan, which they've dubbed "The Captain." Josh (FRAN KRANZ, The TV Set), is a Hollywood whiz kid whose filmmaking career has hit a wall. Just when Josh is about to move back to New York, his accountant-to-the-stars best friend, Marty (CHRIS KLEIN, American Pie), convinces him to move into his legendary apartment building. Among the eccentric tenants are Uncle Saul (Emmy Award nominee JEFFREY TAMBOR, Arrested Development), a former Three's Company writer who is the building's self-proclaimed expert on anything and everything; Charlene (Golden Globe Award winner RAQUEL WELCH, The Three Musketeers), the femme fatale who welcomes Josh in her own seductive style; Jesus (comedian AL MADRIGAL), a gossipy doorman who knows all the residents' most tantalizing secrets, and Astrid (VALERIE AZLYNN, Two and a Half Men) a flighty, aspiring young actress. Josh is most taken with the earthy, beautiful Hope, (JOANNA GARCIA, Reba), an aspiring acupuncturist who enlists him as a practice patient. The folklore of this fabled apartment building always continues to grow and, as each dweller quickly learns, the walls never stop talking.
The single-camera comedy, shot in Los Angeles, premieres Monday, Feb. 4 (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. The series was created by John Hamburg and is executive produced by Hamburg, Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen for CBS Paramount Network Television.

Cast Details:

Fran Kranz as Josh Flum, Chris Klein as Marty Tanner, Jeffrey Tambor as Uncle Saul Fish, Joanne Garcia as Hope, Raquel Welch as Charlene Van Ness, Valerie Azlynn as Astrid, and Al Madrigal as Jesus.

Fran Kranz (Josh) is best known for his performance in the feature film The TV Set. A graduate of Yale University, Kranz has played a series of memorable roles in feature films. He also has extensive theatre credits. He is new to the television industry and impressively is the lead in this new sitcom.

Chris Klein (Marty) began his acting career in the critically acclaimed film Election. His performance garnered him a Chicago Film Critics nomination for Most Promising Newcomer and the film received a nomination for Best Picture at the Independent Spirit Awards. He went on to star as Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher in the raucous comedy American Pie and reprised his role in American Pie 2 the following year. Klein has featured roles in upcoming films and has done a lot of movies previously. This is Klein's first regular role in a television series.

Jeffrey Tambor (Saul) is a television veteran and has starred on television in the hit series The Larry Sanders Show and the critically-acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning Arrested Development, for which he received two Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Also, he had three guest roles on the sitcom Three's Company (for which his character on this show was a writer for), and he also had a co-starring role on the spin-off The Ropers. He also recently starred in the short-lived sitcom 20 Good Years opposite John Lithgow. Tambor just wrapped production on two films Hellboy 2 and Superhero, which will be released this year. His other feature film credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Dolittle, There's Something About Mary, and many others.

Raquel Welch (Charlene) has millions of movie fans who first glimpsed her statuesque beauty in the science fiction classic One Million Years B.C., after which she secured a place for herself as the reigning sex symbol of the '60s and '70s. She has starred in over 45 films and won a Golden Globe for best actress in The Three Musketeers. She also acted on the stage with a remarkable performance in the hit Broadway musical Woman of the Year, which led her to a starring role in Victor/Victoria.

Joanna Garcia (Hope) was born and raised in Tampa, Fla. and first began performing at the age of 10 when she auditioned for a local theater production and earned the lead role. From there she was discovered by Nickelodeon, who cast her in the television series Are You Afraid of the Dark? Garcia attended the University of Florida, but after her freshman year she moved to Los Angeles and landed a role in the 1999 John Ritter CBS television movie Holy Joe on her first day in town. She went on to co-star the hit series Reba, playing Reba's daughter, Cheyenne Montgomery. Her other television credits include Party of Five, Freaks and Geeks and Boston Public. Her feature film credits include American Pie 2 (with co-star Chris Klein) and Not Another Teen Movie.

Valerie Azlynn (Asterid) was born and raised in New London, Conn. She moved to New York to pursue a career as an actress and built a resume performing in the theatre and singing with a reputable Opera Company in Manhattan. Her previous television credits include a recurring role in the CBS drama CSI: NY, as well as the CBS comedies Two And A Half Men and How I Met Your Mother. Her feature film credits include Poseidon, Bewitched and Constantine, and will be seen in the upcoming films Tropic Thunder and Hancock.

Al Madrigal (Jesus) has been called "dynamic" by the New York Times, and his flair for storytelling has established him as one of the nation's premiere stand-up comedians. He won the "Jury Award for Best Stand-up Comedian" at the 2004 HBO Comedy Festival. Madrigal can regularly be seen on television in his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents special, as well as his frequent guest spots on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Madrigal continues to headline comedy clubs and theatres around the country.

Pilot Plot:

We have received the first two episodes of this sitcom, "Pilot" and "Weekend at Saul's."

In the premiere episode, "Pilot" (airing Feb. 4 at 8:30), Josh Flug, a one-time Hollywood hot shot, is persuaded by his friend, Marty, to move into the El Capitan apartment building, dubbed "The Captain" by its residents. With its eccentric group of tenants, he realizes this is the fresh start he needs.
Directed by: John Hamburg
Written by: Executive Producer John Hamburg

Episode 2: "Weekend at Saul's" (airing Feb. 11 at 8:30) - When Josh invites Hope to stay at his apartment for the weekend, Uncle Saul convinces him that it is a bad move, and persuades him to stay at his weekend retreat in order to make her jealous.
Directed by: Mark Mylod
Written by: Executive Producers Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen
Guest Stars: Michael Weston as Brad and Christine Woods as Claire

Analysis:

This sitcom is actually pretty interesting. It is basically about a one-time Hollywood writer named Josh moving into The Captain hotel that is filled with ex-Hollywood stars. He was persuaded by his friend Marty, who seems very crazy, to move in to the hotel. Marty himself lives in the hotel as well. We also have Saul Fish, who likes to be called "Uncle Saul," living here. He was once a writer for four seasons on Three's Company, which he likes to call "T. Co." There are a lot of Three's Company references (such as #1 in the Nielsen's, Suzie Somers and Mrs. Roper). Then we have the front-desk attendant/doorman Jesus (not pronounced Hesus), who eavesdrops a lot and gossips about everyone. He and Saul are a good comedy team. Then we have the sexy older woman Charlene, was on either Knots Landing or Falcon Crest, no one can remember which. She seduces Josh but it is Uncle Saul who has a crush on her. Then we have Josh's love interest, Hope, an aspiring acupuncturist who enlists him as a practice patient...and Josh falls in love, but he later finds out she has a boyfriend in New York. Then finally we have Astrid, a flighty, aspiring young actress, who Marty tried to set-up Josh with, but she is too dumb for Josh.

That's all the characters in a nutshell. It really is an interesting show and after two episodes, I'll continue to watch this show. The pilot has us all meeting the characters while episode two is more about Josh's pursuit of Hope. I really like all the pop culture references here...we get Three's Company, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing, Alice, Weekend at Bernie's, and more. It is so funny that Tambor's character Saul was a writer on Three's Company because Tambor guest starred on three episodes of that show and also starred in the spin-off, The Ropers. Very clever. Let's hope Joyce DeWitt or Suzanne Somers can guest star in the future. Saul and Jesus are clearly the funniest on the show. Marty is also not too shabby. Saul also says he had a thing going with Linda Lavin of Alice...funny stuff.
One of the funniest lines is in the pilot with Saul saying Charlene has a tush like a buttery chardonnay.

Conclusion:

This is certainly a watchable sitcom. With the strike, we don't have as many options as we would have before scripted wise, so it might get a decent sampling. What will hurt is that it will follow repeats of How I Met Your Mother. Another thing working against this show is that it is in a single-camera sitcom. CBS is not known for these at all. In fact, all of their sitcoms are traditional style. NBC or ABC is more known for these. Little is expected of this sitcom, so it could surprise. With the strike still going, there is a chance this could be picked-up in the fall for more than 6 episodes, since a pilot season could be washed away.

I liked the show. It is charming and has a romantic feel to it. Will Hope & Josh get together? With the help of Saul and Jesus, it could happen. Or will Marty ruin it by staying in Josh's apartment even more? Marty has his own apartment, but one of his girlfriends is now living there. He is certainly girl crazy, but more crazy in general, too. It is smartly written, which is not CBS's style. I'm not sure if it is funnier than The Big Bang Theory, which is probably CBS's smartest sitcom as of now, but this one is the smartest after two episodes. Maybe I am thinking that because it is single-camera. Fans of shows in a hotel, like Hotel, Faulty Towers, Over the Top, and so many others (wow this has been done a lot, hasn't it?), will like this show. Let's hope it gets laugh-out-loud funny!

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 02/02/08

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday on our message board.

Related Links:

CBS.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Welcome to The Captain Photo Gallery


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, February 2, 2008
"Annoying Auditions on American Idol; Lifetime Original Gone Without Notice; Miami Heat Still on National TV?"
By Solomon Davis

Every season around this time American Idol fans have to watch all the auditions that are not funny anymore just so we can get to the real part of the show. When will the American Idol producers realize that 75% of these people who are auditioning only want to be seen on TV and have no intention of becoming the next American Idol? Seems like everyone these days wants to follow in the footsteps of that god awful William Hung from three years back and purposely try to make a fool of themselves so they can be discovered. It's time to cut these auditions down since most of these clowns only come on the show to act a fool not show they have singing talent which is what the show is supposed to be about.

The last time I checked there was a new show on Lifetime called Matched in Manhattan and now it's gone? It was airing right after the god awful show How to Look Good Naked and it just vanished off the schedule completely. Lifetime couldn't give the show at least a month? Why just yank the show off so quickly when most people were probably getting into the show? And to make things worse How to Look Good Naked is on for a FULL HOUR now while Matched in Manhattan is no longer on the schedule. How to Look Good Naked is nothing but a sneaky rip-off of TLC's What Not to Wear. I'm done with Lifetime original programming since this is the second time they did this to me.

I know the Miami Heat has Dwayne Wade and the team was expected to be a contender this season but they are not and it's no reason for their games to be on ESPN, ABC, or TNT. The Heat record is 8-38 and the NBA expects NBA fans to still be excited to watch a horrible team like that on their day off? The NFL doesn't have a problem canceling games if a certain team has a horrible record so why can't the NBA do the same? The last time I checked I thought networks were interested in HIGH RATINGS and not still airing the games of a losing team on national TV because they have a NBA All-Star.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Pioneers of Television (Jan. 29); Solomon's Weekly Rant: Sick of Seacrest, VH1 Obsessed with Flavor Flav, Sony TV DVDs

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today week we take a look at PBS Home Video's Pioneers of Television. Pioneers of Television is a recent four-part PBS series that took a look back at the pioneers of late night, sitcom, game shows and variety. See both my and Todd's mini-DVD review of Pioneers of Television:



Pioneers of Television (PBS, $24.99) brings us the wonderful four-part documentary series that focuses on the pioneers of television in four different genres...late night, game shows, sitcoms and variety shows.
On the late night portion it features many of the most important figures to emerge on the late-night scene. Merv Griffin gives his last interview before passing away, and Regis Philbin offers revelations about his years as a late night sidekick to Joey Bishop. Dick Cavett and Arsenio Hall provide insight into how their shows broadened the late-night audience. For the first time, Sigourney Weaver offers personal details about her father, Pat, inventor of The Tonight Show and one of the most visionary TV executives ever.
For the sitcom portion, it focuses on the five key sitcoms that shaped the genre: I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Make Room for Daddy, The Andy Griffith Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Then we have game shows and it traces one of broadcasting's strongest genres, from its nascent beginnings in radio through its heyday in the late 60s. Bob Barker talks about his earliest work, and Merv Griffin details the "eureka" moments that led to the creation of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.
Finally for variety, it begins with Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town and Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater, and progresses through The Carol Burnett Show, Smothers Brothers and Laugh-In, among others.

Let's start this review off with the packaging. It is a simple movie style case that holds a disc inside. We have two buttons to pull to do that. The cover has some of our pioneers on the cover in black & white such as Johnny Carson, Dick Van Dyke, Bob Barker, and Lucy & Desi. PBS Home Video logo is on the top followed below by the title of the DVD (Pioneers of Television), along with the four segment titles. The back of the case has details on the set, along with break-downs of each segment, special features list, and some of the stars that are interviewed on this set. When we open the case we get the disc...it is in blue with the logo of the documentary.

The main menu screen has the same montage of black & white photos as the cover art. The Pioneers of Television logo is in red and the four specials are in yellow. There are options for Play Programs, Scene Selections, Special Features and PBS. org . On the Play Programs sub-menu, there is a photo of Johnny Carson waving in front of NBC Studios. For Scene Selections, there are a number of options for each special. Johnny Carson and Steve Allen are on Late Night. Lucy and Desi are featured on Sitcoms. Flip Wilson is on Vareity. A young Bob Barker is featured on Game Shows. The Special Feature sub-menu offers a photo of Phyllis Diller and Johnny Carson.

The video and audio are of course good since this special was just aired. Some of the archive clips might not look as good, but that is to be expected. There are chapter stops within each genre, but it depends on the genre. It is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 2.0 Stereo. Closed captioning is available. The total running time is approximately 220 minutes.

We will rundown a bit about each special and who you will find on it.

Late Night (55:36) is broken up into the following sections (in order and how it is listed in the menu): Introduction; Steve Allen; Jack Paar; Johnny Carson; Merv, Joey, & Dick; Credits. We get comments from Tim Conway, Jay Leno, Johnathan Winters, Phyllis Diller, Dick Cavett, Betty White, Andy Williams, Merv Griffin, Regis Philbin, Tommy Smothers, Doc Servinsen, Ed McMahon, Arsenio Hall, Steve Allen, Hugh Downs, Sigourney Weaver, Pat Harrington, Florence Henderson, Barbara Eden, Bob Uecker, and Jack Narz.

Sitcoms (55:35) is broken up into the following sections (in order and how it is listed in the menu): Introduction; Jackie Gleason; Lucy and Desi; Danny Thomas; Andy Griffith; Dick, Mary and Carl; Credits. We get comments from Mary Tyler Moore, Joyce Randolph, Jim Nabors, Andy Griffith, Marlo Thomas, Dick Van Dyke, Art Linkletter, Florence Henderson, Tony Orlando, Barbara Eden, Pat Harrington, Tim Conway, and Rose Marie.

Game Shows (55:35) is broken up into the following sections (in order and how it is listed in the menu): Mark Goodson, Ralph Edwards, Groucho Marx, The Scandals, Password, Let's Make a Deal, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Hollywood Squares, Chuck Barris, Emcee job, Women as emcees, Bill Cullen, Credits. We get comments from Bob Barker, Dick Van Dyke, Merv Griffin, Tom Kennedy, Betty White, Monty Hall, Bob Eubanks, Peter Marshall, Phyllis Diller, Chuck Woolery, Wink Martindale, Jack Narz, Bob Stewart, Dick Cavett, Hugh Downs, Florence Henderson, and Vicki Lawrence.

Variety (55:37) is broken up into the following sections (in order and how it is listed in the menu): Introduction, Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle, Red Seklton, Arthur Godfrey, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Pat Boone, Sid and Imogene, Carol Burnett, Smothers Brothers, Laugh-In, Flip Wilson, Tony Orlando, and Credits. We get comments from Phyllis Diller, Florence Henderson, Tim Conway, Tony Orlando, Sid Caesar, Tommy Somothers, George Schlatter, Art Linkletter, Pat Boone, Pat Harrington, Peter Marshall, Andy Griffith, Jerry Stiller, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Dick Cavett, Dick Van Dyke, Andy Williams, Jonathan Winters, Jim Nabors, Vicki Lawrence, Betty White, and Arsenio Hall.

As for special features, we get about 15 minutes worth of expanded interviews. Betty White talks about her first sitcom: Life with Elizabeth. Phyllis Diller discusses the final Ed Sullivan Show. Dick Cavett tells a story about meeting Johnny Carson, who was performing as a magician in Nebraska. Florence Henderson recounts a painful experience that happened to her on a live TV show. Merv Griffin talks about his big break and meeting Jack Paar by accident. Jonathan Winters tells how he and Orville Wright lived in the same Ohio town at the same time. Tim Conway explains how pie-in-the-face-humor isn't all that much fun.

We recommend this set for any fan of television, especially television history. There are brand new, compelling interviews from nearly 100 classic stars. It has something for everyone...either late night TV, sitcoms, game shows, or variety shows. These are the people and shows that launched a TV industry. Recite your favorite lines "Heeeeeere's Johnny!," "Come on Down!," or "Lucyyyy," and learn more about these pioneers by ordering this DVD!

-- Reviewed by Pavan and Todd
(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Pioneers of Television PBS Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, January 26, 2008
"Sick of Seacrest; VH1 Obsessed with Flavor Flav; Sony TV DVDs"
By Solomon Davis

Seems like everywhere you turn these days when watching TV there is Mr. Ryan Seacrest looking right back at you. He has hosted the Emmys, co-hosting Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on ABC, award show's red carpet shows and now has been selected to appear on Fox during Super Bowl Sunday to host the pregame show and red carpet. This man knows nothing about football and probably has never watched football a day in his life but we still get to see him on the biggest sports day of the year just because he hosts that American Idol. It's a good thing Fox doesn't air the NBA Finals because we would definitely see his face again in the month of June. What's next for him? The World Series on Fox? Seacrest Out!

You mean to tell me that VH1 is going to air another series of Flavor of Love in February so we can see Flavor Flav search for love for a THIRD time? I mean how many times is Flav going to do a Flavor of Love series in this decade? It looks like VH1 won't stop airing this show until Flav finds that special someone which will probably mean Flavor of Love 10 before I'm 40. I always thought that a new year for a cable network meant NEW PROGRAMMING for viewers but I guess I'm just that stupid.

Sony actually released the season two DVD of Barney Miller to start a new year when so many of its other shows are close to completion? Barney Miller's last DVD release was in 2004 and all of a sudden there is a season two release before seasons 7 of All in the Family and The Jeffersons, season 3 of Diff'rent Strokes, and season 2 What's Happening Now!!? What in the hell is going to make season 2 of Barney Miller sell so much better in 2008 when it didn't sell well in 2004? They had better release 227 and Who's the Boss' second seasons then since they haven't gotten a season two set yet either. I guess this means season 2 of Maude will hit the shelves in 2011 since season 1 was released last year. Slow Sony!

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: JAG Season 5 (Jan. 29); Solomon's Weekly Rant: Early 80s Sitcoms Missing, Lopez Marathon Not Fresh-Like, Drew Not Chopped on ION

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we have we take a look at CBS DVD's Fifth Season of JAG. JAG was a huge hit for CBS. If you are a fan of Navy NCIS, you know that NCIS is a spin-off of JAG. See Seth Thrasher's mini-DVD review of JAG - The Complete Fifth Season:

JAG - The Complete Fifth Season (CBS, $64.99) is now available! Enjoy this long running Donald Bellisario classic on DVD from CBS DVD (Formerly known as Paramount)! Well, you'll enjoy it if you buy it from discount retailers, such as SitcomsOnline.com partner Amazon.com (see link at end of review). If you actually pay full sticker for any of these JAG sets, you've paid too much. Come on, it's a great show, but there are a LOT of things I'd spend 65 dollars on before I would this set. The show itself is great, it's just not sixty-five-dollar-great. Incidentally, for a set that a lot of folks were once worried about not getting released at all, we're now half way through the show's entire run with this set!
The episodes on this set are great -- the show was still at a high point. I love the two-parter "Boomerang," as well as the episode immediately preceding it, "Cabin Pressure." Also be on the look out for some guest stars, including Trisha Yearwood, Corbin Bernsen and Montel Williams. The actual set itself...well...it's pretty much the de facto standard for TV DVDs now that the industry seems to be shunning the Digipak. The packaging is the now standard-issue outer box with inner slim cases, like the other previous sets. The cover art is again similar in style to previous sets -- this time the main primary cast are all at the top, with a dark blue background behind them, with the gavel and US flag on the bottom half. The menu is yet another static menu, but is fairly nice looking. The background is extremely similar to the dark blue/flag portion of the cover art, with a file folder and gavel at the bottom. The show logo is center-left, while the menu options are center-right. There IS once again a special feature -- a gag reel running 3:04. Video quality is VERY good -- CBS was an early adopter of HDTV programming, and as a result the show's video shines, especially compared to non-HD shows the same age. No flaws that I can find -- with perfect color balance, no noticeable compression issues. Audio is great with no defect, and sounds great. And I've always loved this show's theme, which sounds wonderful here. We're now into the HDTV era of the show with this season -- yes, the set is presented in anamorphic widescreen. Closed Captioning is available once again. Chapter Stops appear at each commercial break plus before and after the opening titles. Runtimes are in the mid-40 minute area, give or take depending on how long or short the episode ran -- which is right for the show's age. The box has the usual warning about edits, but that's standard operating procedure for CBS DVD sets. My only gripes about the set are the MSRP, boring menus, and still lack of special features other than the gag reel. Work on those, and I'll be a very happy man. Nonetheless, what's here is great, and I strongly recommend it.

-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher
(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
JAG TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, January 19, 2008
"Early 80s Sitcoms Missing; Lopez Marathon Not Fresh-Like; Drew Not Chopped on ION"
By Solomon Davis

When will one of these cable channels ever give some life to the family sitcoms from the early '80s or are these shows just gone forever in syndication? I swear between Nick at Nite, TBS, TV One, and ABC Family there are NO shows airing on those networks from that era of TV sitcoms. Family sitcoms like Silver Spoons, Diff'rent Strokes, Family Ties, Gimme a Break!, Head of the Class, and Webster seems like they would be on one of these cable channels but instead we get all the sitcoms from the '90s and the decade of the 2000's. Even the shows that are out on DVD have only a couple of seasons released and is no where near completion and I just wish shows from that era of television would get more exposure instead of shows from the from 1985 to 1989...but even those shows are not seen much, Hogan Family got pulled on ABC Family within seconds as did Perfect Strangers on ION, while shows like Cosby Show and Full House still air everywhere. It's time for these cable networks to treat the sitcoms of the early '80s like they do for the ENTIRE decade of the '90s!!

I'm happy to see that Nick at Nite is giving George Lopez a marathon tomorrow night but the only thing I can't understand is why can't it be a week long marathon like it was for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? This will be a great opportunity for the show to gain even more viewers and maybe even possibly another huge hit for the network but all they give Lopez is one night of continuous episodes. The show has done well so far on the network. You would think that since the show is still kind of new that there would be the same type of marathon but I guess that's only for shows that been on Nick at Nite for more than 3 years and not less than 3 months. Once again Nick at Nite's program plan is acceptable but how they present it to viewers is a whole another story.

I wanted to see for myself if ION had a different editing style when it came to The Drew Carey Show and let me just say I was not surprise at all to see that it's not cut like Alice at 7pm and other older sitcoms they have aired like Perfect Strangers. ION has cut the episodes of Alice in so many ways that you can't remember who said what and where they said in it. But when I watched The Drew Carey Show I noticed that there were only TWO commercial breaks from the start of the show to the end of the show...and no abrupt cut to commercials, like on Alice when someone is in a middle of a line. Also, not 5 commercials breaks like it is during the Alice on ION and I can't seem to figure out why that is the case? I mean what makes one show more special than the other? Is it because Alice is older and has more time to edit? Now since I'm not a fan of Drew Carey, I don't know how bad they edit the show but from my eyes I only saw two commercial breaks when I watched the show and since I have 20/20 vision I know for a fact I have never seen an Alice episode with only two breaks. Either that or I may need to make an appointment for an eye surgeon immediately to fix my vision.


Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

TV Rebels: Norman Lear; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Crazy Glue Good Times, Beverly Hillbillies for Three's Company?, Carpoolers Time Change

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! But wait! This Saturday we won't have the regular mini-DVD review as we have the second installment of TV Rebels! However don't worry, Solomon's Weekly Rant is still on in its regular day and spot.
As we did last month, we have gotten special permission to publish at least 6 different essays on TV shows that will be featured in the upcoming book TV Rebels: 100 People and Programs That Shaped the Medium by author Lou Orfanella. The book is still in the works and will be released in 2009.

So without further adieu, we bring you the second column of TV Rebels:

Norman Lear: Changing the Face of Comedy
On Tuesday, January 12, 1971 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the first episode of a series that seemed destined to fail finally aired on CBS and the television situation comedy was never the same. Producer Norman Lear had been fighting unsuccessfully since 1968 to get his American adaptation of the British hit Till Death Us Do Part on network television. After multiple pilot films, cast changes, and title changes (Archie Justice and Those Were the Days were discarded choices), All in the Family debuted to less than stellar ratings, but leaving no doubt that new territory was being explored.
Blue collar bigot Archie Bunker, his devoted wife Edith, daughter Gloria, and son-in-law Mike made up the immediate family residing at 704 Hauser Street in Queens, New York. Archie's conservative rants and endless stream of ethnic slurs were far removed from even the most bombastic characters to rule the airwaves previously. "Even after the '60s lowered the bar for acceptable public expression, it was hard not to notice a fat white guy sitting in his chair, cigar in hand, railing against everybody else" (Hinckley). And notice they did. By the 1971-1972 television season All in the Family was the number one show on the air and would remain so for five years running.
By the fall of 1972, All in the Family had spawned Maude, the Beatrice Arthur character who had appeared as Edith Bunker's liberal cousin. One of many Lear "spin-off" series, Maude was to become another ground breaking comedy during its six year CBS run and another piece of the foundation which would support the growing empire that was Tandem Productions, the company of Lear and partner Bud Yorkin. While All in the Family had brought reality into the genre, "...from social politics to bathroom use, and dealt with them in language franker than TV audiences had ever heard. Maude wert even further in its weekly squabbles. The first season's 22 episodes...dealt with topics like racism, infidelity, sexual equality, divorce, menstruation, malpractice and, most notoriously, abortion, when Maude found herself pregnant at 47" (DeCaro).
The Lear productions continued to flourish throughout the 70's with hits like Sanford and Son (another adaptation of a British series, Steptoe and Son), The Jeffersons (another All in the Family spinoff), Good Times (a Maude spinoff), and other traditional/formulaic sitcoms. Lear would attempt to push the envelope with Hot L Baltimore on ABC in 1975. Set in a rundown hotel (hence the missing "e" in the sign/title) and based on the off Broadway show of the same name Hot L Baltimore's characters included a prostitute, a homosexual couple, and a never seen practical joker named Moose. The series boasted some cutting edge dialogue but it failed to click with viewers and vanished after 13 episodes.
Lear would hit pay dirt again in 1976 with the syndicated soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. After being turned down by the networks in spite of his track record as a television innovator, Lear sold Mary Hartman to local station where it became a late night hit. Once again, Lear pushed the boundaries of controversial subject matter and outlandish plotlines. And once again, it worked.
Norman Lear's place as a television rebel was likely secured that night in 1971 when the public was first introduced to Archie Bunker, though he continued to travel uncharted waters. "In a few short years after All in the Family’s debut, Lear had influenced all of TV comedy and dominated much of it, to the extent that by 1975, critic Michael J. Arlen wagered, 'it's probably a good bet that roughly a hundred and twenty million Americans watch Norman Lear comedies each week-which adds up to a total of roughly five billion viewers each year.'" (McCrrohan 137).

Works Cited
DeCaro, Frank. "Archie Bunker's Feisty Feminist Flip Side." The New York Times 22 April 2007:AR30.
Hinckley, David. "Change of Life: Archie Bunker." The New York Daily News 12 October 1999:17.
McCrohan, Donna. Archie&Edith, Mike&Gloria: The Tumultuous History of All in the Family. New York: Workman Publishing, 1987.

Stay tuned next month for another installment of TV Rebels as we take a look at the sitcom That Girl!


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, January 12, 2008
"Crazy Glue Good Times; Beverly Hillbillies for Three's Company?; Carpoolers Time Change"
By Solomon Davis

This month marks the 4th anniversary of Good Times on TV One and I can't believe after 4 years we are still going to see a marathon next month based around the Michael character. Good Times to TV one is like how Fresh Prince is to Nick at Nite, it's the network's favorite show and everyone with 20/20 vision must be reminded of that all the time. I mean how many more years is this show going to be presented to TV One viewers like it's a new addition? I was hoping the year of 2008 would push some shows off the TV One schedule so some new shows can be pushed in and given a chance to gain an audience. And just once if TV One is going to air this show all the time at least feature the show's best years and not the Penny/Carl/Keith era.

OK I'm not a fan of The Beverly Hillbillies and never intend to be, but why did TV Land have to replace Three's Company at 1am so that The Beverly Hillbillies can be seen? The show already airs in the daytime and evening, while Three's Company will now only be 4am (it will gain 11am in February though). That replacement makes no sense at all and now I have absolutely no reason to turn to TV Land from 11pm to 2am since there is nothing on from the 1970's era just all Andy Griffith, M*A*S*H (this is '70s but boring '70s), and the newly re-acquired Beverly Hillbillies. But now the 2am hour is different with Sanford and Son airing in that slot so they think they could squeeze a 60's sitcom in the 1am slot now. They should air a new type of 60's show like Gomer Pyle. TV Land is definitely a channel that should be under the pre-basic cable package.

I was all set to get back into Carpoolers this past Tuesday and ended up forgetting to watch the show because of the new time ABC scheduled the show to air. It was originally airing at 8:30pm and now has been moved to 9:30pm which made it very easy for me to forget to watch the show and have to try again next week. So what's probably going to happen is most people will forget about the new time slot (since that's not a time they were used to watching the show) combined in with the fact that show hasn't even been seen since October which will lead to cancellation avenue. So that strategy by ABC will definitely have Carpoolers in the "goodbye" list in about 4 months.


Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: All-Star Family Feud (Jan. 8); Solomon's Weekly Rant: The Jeffersons Snubbed, Annoying ION, 32 Bowl Games?

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today week we take a look at BCI Eclipse's All-Star Family Feud. Family Feud of course is the popular game show that is still going strong today! Basically the game show puts two families (5 members each) together and they battle each other via questions and try to get the most correct answers from a survey. On this DVD, we get the All-Star specials from the '70s and '80s hosted by Richard Dawson, which featured TV series going up against each other for charity. See my mini-DVD review of All-Star Family Feud:

All-Star Family Feud (BCI, $29.98) brings us the all-star specials from the '70s and '80s that featured TV series of that time, classic TV stars, and more to DVD for the first time!
It's time to play the feud as your favorite stars battle for charity. These all-star specials started in 1978 on ABC in primetime. They were very popular. The show back then aired on ABC daytime and also in first-run syndication. There were specials that were created for daytime and syndication as well, such as classic TV weeks. I think everyone has seen at least one episode of Family Feud before...whether it was with Richard Dawson, Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn or the current host John O'Hurley, everyone has seen one episode, so no need for a description on the show.
Let's start with the packaging. We have a nice cover art for the box. We have the All-Star Family Feud logo in the famous yellow, blue, and red circles with white dots. We also have a photo of Richard Dawson! The cover art also lists some of the series that will be playing on this set, such as Eight is Enough and Love Boat. The back of the box has some info on the set (I notice some grammar problems though, such as "during it's run..." come on, no apostrophe s there!) and more details on what shows you will see. We have three screen shots as well, such as Richard kissing Florence Henderson. In the background we see Richard with the survey board in the background. Inside the box we get a digipak case and also a little insert booklet that has a nice history of the show...it is pretty cool and has nice photos inside, such as a screen shot of Richard with two of the stars of Soap. Anyway, to the case we go. The front of the case says, "Featuring such stars as," then it names some stars like Heather Locklear, Norman Fell and more. They missed some big stars they could have named here, like John Ritter, Betty White, Meredith Baxter, Susan Lucci, but not a big deal. Some more screen shots are on the bottom, such as one with Maureen McCormick. The back of the case we have the logo in red and a nice yellow background. Opening the digipak case, we get to the discs. It seems there are only two panels (disc one on the left, disc two on the right), but if you snap open the little part in the middle on each side, you open the panel and will see disc three on the left and disc four on the right. Very neat, but some people might get confused and think there are only two discs. The left side has a nice blue/white scheme and the right side has a nice yellow/white scheme. Each disc has the logo in red with a yellow background, and underneath that we have artwork in a blue shade. Disc one has a shot of Richard in a tux. Disc two has Richard with Lou Ferrigno and Bernie Kopell. Disc three has Richard with the cast of the first All-Star Family Feud special from 1978, like Diana Canova and Richard Kline. Disc four has a nice head shot of Richard.
The menu screen has Play All and Episodes. Disc four also has a Photo Gallery option. The main menu starts with the famous music of the show...then it zooms to the set in 3-D. It looks so cool. We have the survey board, the two sides where the families stand, and the face-off stand. When you select an option we get the famous red X in a box with the sound effect. But we were not wrong when we selected it! Cool anyway. When we choose Episodes, we get the episodes on the survey board, with the sound effects!
The video depends on the episode really. Remember this ranges from 1978 to 1984. I noticed some of the episodes look much better than others. The same goes for the audio. We also get bumpers saying we will return in a moment or back to the show. We also have production codes on some episodes in the beginning...very cool. Glad they kept that in there. The All-Star specials are around 45-50 minutes, but they are separated into three segments on the menu...for example the 6th All-Star special had Love Boat, WKRP, Soap and Real People. They are broken up into three parts: Love Boat vs. WKRP, Soap vs. Real People and Real People vs. WKRP in the finals. I wish they would have just listed them all into one and placed three chapter stops instead. It kind of ruins who goes to the finals. The daytime and first-run syndicated episodes run about 21-22 minutes each, as they were week-long events.
I will list all the episodes on this set, so you know what is on it. I have labeled it better than they do on the menu. On the menu all they list are the shows. The episodes are in no order at all, which is weird. Here is the rundown:

Disc 1 -
1. Adventure Stars Special: Adventure Heroines vs. Adventure Heroes (This was a week-long stunt in ABC daytime or syndication and only the first 2 of the 5 episodes from this week are on this set for some reason...the first one runs 24:17 and the second one runs 22:22)
2. TV's All-Time Favorites: Petticoat Junction, The Brady Bunch, Your Hit Parade and Leave it to Beaver (This was a week-long stunt in ABC daytime, and we get all 5 days here, runtimes are 22:22, 21:42, 22:23, 22:22, and 22:22...just a note the second day says it is an "encore" presentation)
3. 6th All-Star Special: Love Boat, WKRP in Cincinnati, Soap, Real People (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 20:34, 18:02, and 10:57)

Disc 2 -
4. Hollywood Walk of Fame Special: The Men vs. The Ladies (This was a week-long stunt in ABC daytime or syndication and only 2 of the 5 episodes from this week are on this set for some reason...the first one runs 21:01 and the second one is actually the fourth one from the week and runs 20:55)
5. 3rd All-Star Special: Love Boat, Eight is Enough, Family, What's Happening!! (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 21:18, 18:20, and 9:54)
6. Heroes vs. Villains All-Star Special: Two sets of Heroes vs. Villains teams face-off (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 21:11, 20:33, and 7:39)
7. 5th All-Star Special: One Day at a Time, Benson, Dallas, Eight is Enough (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 18:30, 21:30, and 9:24)

Disc 3 -
8. Nighttime vs. Daytime All-Star Special: Soap, All My Children, Eight is Enough, General Hospital (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 18:24, 21:34, and 9:56)
9. City vs. Country All-Star Special: Dallas, It's a Living, The Jeffersons, The Dukes of Hazzard (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 18:08, 20:19, and 10:43)
10. 7th All-Star Special: The Ropers, Angie, The Dukes of Hazard, The Waltons (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 22:15, 16:22, and 10:38)
11. 1st All-Star Special: Love Boat, Eight is Enough, Soap, Three's Company (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 21:44, 17:26, and 10:01...this entire special is a repeat telecast it says, so it isn't from the original airing, but probably nothing is edited out.)

Disc 4 -
12. 2nd All-Star Special: Barney Miller, Eight is Enough, Welcome Back Kotter, Soap (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 20:57, 17:00, and 11:33)
13. All-Star Championship Special: Eight is Enough, Family, Welcome Back Kotter, The Love Boat (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 19:20, 21:04, and 8:55)
14. TV's All-Time Favorites: Batman, Lost in Space, Hawaiian Eye, Gilligan's Island (This was a week-long stunt in ABC daytime, and we get only 1 of the 5 days here, and that is day 2 with Hawaiian Eye vs. Gilligan's Island, runtime is 21:45 and it says it is an "encore" presentation.)
15. Battle of the Perfect 10's All-Star Special: Wilt's Wows, Debbie's Dudes, Richard's Rosebuds, and Phyllis' Fighters (This was a primetime special on ABC and is separated into three parts: 20:40, 19:09, and 9:22)

As for special features, we have a Photo Gallery. Basically we have 40 pictures to go through in a slideshow form. You select the next option on your remote and it will go to the next picture. These images consist of TV Guide ads and promotional images. Very cool, wish I had some!
I highly do recommend this set for any game show fan and any fan of '70s and '80s TV. Maybe one of your favorite shows are featured on an episode playing for charity? There are some mishaps here, such as they mentioned Batman on the front cover, but yet that episode is not on this set. In fact, they have 4 of the daytime weeks here, where we had the stars on for 5 days, and only one of those weeks has all five episodes. I don't understand why we didn't get the full weeks of those. Maybe licensing was a problem, since Batman and Lost in Space was missing from one of the TV's All-Time Favorites weeks. It makes no sense to just have 2 episodes of the 5 of Adventure Stars Special: Adventure Heroines vs. Adventure Heroes and Hollywood Walk of Fame Special: The Men vs. The Ladies since they were the same teams all week long. All the primetime one-hour specials are good to go at least. I hope we get another set with more all-star specials and themed weeks with celebrities. I wish they had these in more of an order, like by airdate. Anyway, click on the link below and order this set because some of these are now rare to find and you'll love your favorite TV stars battling for charity. Let's Play the Feud!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, January 5, 2008
"The Jeffersons Snubbed; Annoying ION; 32 Bowl Games?"
By Solomon Davis

Once again TV Land is pushing The Jeffersons to the side so that other shows can have a mini-thon during the week. Like always the two shows Good Times and Sanford & Son defintely was given a mini-thon on Wednesdays and Thursdays nights while The Jeffersons gets NOTHING. And to make things worst, Designing Women will have a mini-thon on Mondays which starts next week and still NOTHING for The Jeffersons. It's bad enough the show is already airing at 2:30am AFTER Designing Women and now this happens? Makes more sense to just get rid of the show and then maybe Good Times and Sanford & Son can get more marathons.

I guess ION thinks all their viewers have amnesia because they constantly remind you during the airing of Alice that Mama's Family and The Drew Carey Show are coming up later which we already know. Especially since those two shows are on four days of the week you would think it would be impossible to forget. But ION wants to make the closing credits of Alice SMALLER so we can be reminded about those shows over and over. I mean how many reminders do we need each week when we have things like on-screen guides and TV Guides??? The Incredibly Odd Network strikes again.

Just exactly how many more bowl games are there going to be in college football? It seems like every 2 or 3 years new bowl games are created so that more teams can have a chance to feel about something when their season is over. There are 32 bowl games now. There was not this many games 15 years ago it seems and the titles of the bowl games got more ridiculous. Like tomorrow night there will be the GMAC Bowl followed by the National Championship on Monday. And we had a bowl game called the Papa John's Bowl?? They better have had handed out free pizza to the crowd. So just how many more Bowl games will be created in the next 15 years? That's the main reason why they spill over to the networks they have no business on like the NFL Network!!

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: The Bronx is Burning: World Championship Limited Edition; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Drew Carey Show, Celebrity Apprentice, Bryant Gumbel

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at ESPN Home Entertainment's The Bronx is Burning. Yes, we did a review on this a few months ago, but now just in time for the holidays ESPN is releasing a World Championship Limited Edition set that has two extra discs filled with extras! The Bronx is Burning is the eight episode mini-series that aired on ESPN this summer focusing on the 1977 season of the Yankees and what was going on at that time that summer. This show is well acted and got better with each episode. See my mini-DVD review of The Bronx is Burning:

The Bronx is Burning: World Championship Limited Edition (ESPN, $59.95) brings the mini-series on DVD once again, but with more extras and cool stuff! Bronx is Burning in a nutshell...New York City was in a crisis that summer of '77, they were paralyzed by a blackout, political strife, and the Son of Sam killing spree, so the Big Apple was burning. Rising out of this, came the New York Yankees...they signed Reggie Jackson and the trouble and turmoil started, but in the end they won a world championship. This is a true story of how the New York Yankees single-handedly helped to raise the spirits of a city in a time of darkness and uncertainty. Based on the best-selling novel by Jonathan Mahler, this historic 8-part dramatic mini-series captures the summer of 1977 like never before. John Turturro stars as Yankees Manager Billy Martin, Oliver Platt as demanding owner of the Yankees George Steinbrenner, and Daniel Sanjata plays the slugger Reggie Jackson.
This set is nearly the same as original set that came out in September, except for the huge box, two discs worth of extras, 1977 championship photo, and a 1977 championship cap! So we won't cover anything that was covered before, so please refer to our past review for our review on the first three discs and the original packaging.
Packaging on this limited edition set has a huge outer box that holds the digipak case and the cap inside. In the original packaging we had an outer box but it was thin and similar to the case...and the case a snap case rather than digipak. The 1977 cap inside the box is very cool...it has the Yankee logo with 1977 Champions in red. Also the ESPN logo is on one of the sides. When we open the digipak, we see an insert for other ESPN products and also a very thin 1977 World Series Championship photo of the Yankee team. It isn't really anything major and it like a piece of paper, rather than a high quality photograph. Oh well, better than nothing. As for the digipak, it has three sections...the first section all the way on the left holds disc one, discs two & three are in the middle section, and discs four & five are on the right section. Same artwork for the first three discs are used from the original set...same contents of course, too. Discs four and five are new and both have artwork of pinstripes and a white color scheme.
I will only talk about discs four and five. The menu screen design and navigation is the same as the first three discs, which is very high class and cool. Now if you all remember, on the original set we already had a lot of extras...now we get two full discs more of them!
On disc four we have something sports fans will love...actual highlights and a game from the past. We get highlights for each game of the 1977 World Series. All 6 games feature long highlights from the original ABC broadcast featuring Keith Jackson, Howard Cossell, and Tom Seaver. In addition, we get to relive the entire original game 6 broadcast from ABC which the Yankees clinched the 1977 championship as Reggie Jackson hit 3 home runs! 2 great hours worth of a classic game!
Finally, on disc five we get more interviews and back stories. First up is "The Bronx is Burning Anecdotes," these are 38:47 worth of interviews from the actual people from that era. ESPN interviewed stars like Reggie Jackson, George Steinbrenner, Lou Piniella, Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles, Fran Healy and more! These are in like 33 short interview clips each last like 1-2 minutes each. Next up we have classic news features titled, "Archival News Features." The first one is about Reggie Jackson Signing with the Yankees...that runs 1:35. The next one is about the Reggie Jackson Handshake Controversy...that runs 2:56. The final one is a sad one, the Therman Munson Tragedy...that runs 10:42. The final piece of extras are under the "More Stories of '77" title. We had some of these on disc three, but now we get more! The stories features are: Mr. October (6:25), Son of Sam (15:37), The Mayoral Race (6:56), and The Blackout (6:12).
I highly recommend this mini-series and DVD. If you have the original set, then you might want to get this one, too...for the extras and cap. If you're a Yankee fan, then this is a must, otherwise you can just keep the original set. If you have not bought the original set, then try and get this one, as it has more goodies. The Yankees overcame a lot in '77 and so did the city of New York. While this is entertaining, it was also a true story. I urge you all to watch this, especially if you are a fan of sports. Reg-gie! Reg-gie! Reg-gie!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 29, 2007
"Special Treatment for Drew Carey on ION; Celebrity Apprentice?; Terrible Bryant Gumbel"
By Solomon Davis

The Drew Carey Show has been added to ION Television for 2008 and for some reason it will get very special treatment on December 31. It will get treatment that other shows like Alice and Who's the Boss? never received which is confusing because I thought all shows added to the schedule would get the same treatment. Instead, ION will air a marathon of The Drew Carey Show on New Year's Eve and they never did this in 2007 for Alice or Who's the Boss. So I guess those programmers at ION are HUGE fans of The Drew Carey Show. But it is really not surprising at all that the "Incredibly Odd Network" would end the year of 2007 on such an "odd note."

NBC has completely destroyed The Apprentice this season with this new celebrity crap. Why change it into a Celebrity Apprentice when the appeal of the show was seeing young professionals working hard to get hired by Mr. Trump? So what will be the fun part of The Apprentice now since it's all celebrities? If Trump fires a celebrity it won't be the same because that person will still be famous. So what is NBC trying to accomplish with this stupid idea? I will tell you that the one thing they accomplished was losing me as a fan because I no longer have the desire to watch this new garbage NBC has thrown together. NBC has put the nail on the coffin for this series. The show would have just been better off in the same pile with the other 2007 TV show failures.

Bryant Gumbel's style of play-by-play announcing on the NFL Network sounds like he is reading from a script. He is extra dry, dull, and doesn't have a excitable bone in his body. He should only be allowed to do play by play if PBS started airing NFL games next season. I am going to barf tonight when he announces the Patriots/Giants game, in which the Pats will go for the 16-0 record. Please Gumbel go back to morning TV shows like The Early Show and leave sports announcing to the real professionals...even your brother Greg Gumbel is better.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation - The Seventh Season; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Flavor of Love, Christmas Story, Bowl Games

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we head out west to Las Vegas for C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation: - The Seventh Season. C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation stars William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall.



C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation - The Seventh Season (Paramount Home Video/CBS DVD, $89.99)

Follow the evidence... again and again. Winner of the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Television Drama" three years in a row. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation comes to DVD in this special collection that contains all 24 episodes from Season Seven - including Grissom's hunt for the notorious Miniature Killer.

This 7-disc set contains all 24 episodes from the seventh (2006-07) season and a number of audio commentaries and special features. The episodes are presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) enhanced for 16:9 tvs with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio. It has a total running time of 17 hours, 25 minutes. The attractive packaging features parts of William Petersen's and Marg Helgenberger's faces. At the top of the box, there is an embossed CSI logo. Las Vegas' skyline is in the center in a hologram type effect. The inside case is in a book fromat that you can flip through to get to the discs. There is a photo of Helgenberger, Szmanda, Guilfoyle and Doyle on the cover and Eads, Fox, Petersen and Hall on the back. I'm not sure why William Petersen is barefoot. They are walking across a street. A content locator lists the episodes by disc and the special features. Each disc features a different photo of one of the cast members and the show logo.

The menus are very slick looking and easy to navigate. They have a montage of video clips, with some instrumental music playing in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1), and Special Features (only on Disc 7). On the Set Up menu, you can choose either Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish 2.0 Surround. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. The show looks stunning. This is the first time that the show has lacked "Complete" in the title. The episodes have running times of 41-44 minutes in length. There is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of the music has been changed. While the episodes are numbered by their production order, they are presented in the order of their original airdates.

An impressive amount and variety of special features are included. There are 7 audio commentaries available on 5 of the discs. Producers, Writers, Directors and supporting cast members provide some behind the scenes details and trivia on the episodes. Executive Produer/Writer Naren Shankar and Co-Executive Producer/Director Ken Fink provide commentary on "Built To Kill, Part 1." It's a bit unusual there is no commentary on the second part of the episode. Director Richard Lewis and Writer Dustin Lee Abraham comment on "Fannysmackin." Director Martha Coolidge and Make-Up Effects Artist Matthew Mungle discuss "Living Legend." Executive Producer/Writer Naren Shankar and Co-Executive Producer/Writer do the commentary on "Sweet Jane." Director Richard Lewis, Writer/Techinical Advisor Richard Catalani and Producer Carol Mendeloshn provide their insights on "Law of Gravity." "Lab Rats (aka "While the Cat's Away") features Director Brad Tanenbaum, Writer Sarah Goldfinger, Wallace Langham (David Hodges), Jon Wellner (Henry Andrews), Liz Vassey (Wendy Simms), Sheri Rappaport (Mandy Webster) and Archie Kao (Archie Johnson). This was a fun one with so many people on it. Executive Producer/Writer Naren Shankar and Co-Executive Producer/Director Ken Fink do their third commentary on "Living Doll."

Disc 7 has the 6 featurettes. These add up to over 90 minutes of bonus material. There is a "Play All" button or you can watch these individually. Here is the breakdown:

Inside "Built To Kill" (9:02) - This featurette focuses on the Cirque du Soleil show that was featured in the season premiere. It includes interviews with Supervising Producer Ken Fink, "KA" Company Manager Calum Pearson. Writer David Rambo, "KA" Production Manager Ray Forton, "KA" Stage Performer Sarah Harding, "KA" Stage Manager Stacey A. Myers, Marg Helgenberger, "KA" Performer Daniel Power and Louise Lombard. They talk about how they got the idea for the episode and how the "KA" members didn't want to be portrayed as, the storyline and how it was shot. There is some behind the scenes footage and they show various parts of the stage. The Cirque du Soleil show looks very cool. I'd like to see one of their performances someday.

Miniature Murders (13:48) - This featurette focuses on the miniature serial killer, which was a story arc that stretched the entire season and even into the current season. Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Co-Executive Producer Doug Petrie, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Marg Helgenberger, William Petersen, Supervising Producer Sarah Goldfinger, Production Designer Daniel Novotny, Set Designer Rob Sissman, Miniature Supervisor Craig Currie, Prop Supervisor James Schexnaydre, Director Ken Fink, Co-Producer David Rambo, Graphic Artist Daphne San Jose, 2nd Unit Director Brad Tanenbaum and Director Jeffrey Hunt. They talk about the evolution of the idea and the history involved with a woman who created some, how this was the first time they had a season long story arc for the first time, how the miniatures were built and lit, why they made 2 versions of each miniature, how they used different camera angles and the casting of Natalie. The miniatures were so incredibly detailed. They did some amazing work.

Who Are You? Inside "Living Legend" (14:45) - This focuses on the episode of the same name. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Doug Petrie, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Roger Daltrey, Director Martha Coolidge and Special F/X Make-up Artist Matthew Mungle. They talk about the original idea for the story, how twist after twist was written into the episode, guest star Roger Daltrey, the theme song by The Who and how they always wanted to get Daltrey as a guest star since the beginning of the series, and how they did the disguises and prosethic make-up for the 4-5 roles that Daltrey played.

Las Vegas: The Real Crime Solvers (18:25) - All of the recent C.S.I. DVD releases have had similar segments like this one. In this featurette, Robert David Hall (Dr. Robbins) visits the Clark County Crime Lab in Las Vegas. He interviews Captain David O'Leary, Kimberly Brockman, Mark P. Burry, Thomas Melville, Kellie McGauthier, Julie Marschner, Frances E. Beaudette, Dinnah Caluag, Alice Maceo and Dr. Gary Telgenhoff. Various topics are covered as he visits the different departments, including toxicology, controlled substances, DNA, firearms, latent finger prints and autopsy. The segment closes with Robert David Hall talking to some real crime scene investigators: Randy McLaughlin, Yolanda McCleary, Jeff Smink and Kristin Gammas. He asks some good questions throughout this segment. It is interesting to hear their opinions of the show. The coroner is a lot like the Dr. Robbins character. He has the same sense of humor.

The Evolution of C.S.I. Season 7 (25:47) - This is the longest and most in-depth featurette on the set. Interviews include Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, William Petersen, Paul Guilfoyle, Jorja Fox, Robert David Hall, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads, Liev Schreiber, Louise Lombard and Eric Szmanda. They talk about how the show has evolved, how they've tried new things every season, the look of the show, visual effects, William Petersen's sabbatical to do a play, Grissom and Sara's relationship, the casting of Liev Schreiber and the show's unpredictability. I found the Keppler storyline and his character very interesting. You would never know that Jorja Fox would be leaving the show early in the current season.

Smoke & Mirrors: Directing Feature Television (16:31) - This featurette looks at the direction on the show. Interviews are included with the following directors: Ken Fink, Richard Lewis, Jeffrey Hunt, Brad Tanenbaum, Alec Smight, Michael Slovi and Martha Coolidge. They talk about their directorial styles, how they try to challenge themselves, how they try to create the look of feature films, how the show has evolved over the years, the look of the show and the shooting schedules. A typical episode takes 8 1/2 to 9 days to film.

A playable demo for the CSI: Hard Evidence PC game is also included.

Final Comments: It was a season of firsts for C.S.I. They had never done a story arc that stretched across an entire season. It was a bit disappointing that the miniature killer storyline wasn't concluded until the current season, but the whole idea was unique and entertaining. I think part of the show's success is because they are continually evolving it and coming up with fresh ideas. While this set is a bit on a pricey side, there are 7 audio commentaries and over 90 minutes of special features. The original C.S.I. is definitely the most popular in the C.S.I. franchise, so I guess it makes sense that they get the best treatment on DVD.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4.5/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation CBS.com Official Site
C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation TV.com Page



Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 22, 2007
"Yet Another Flavor of Love Marathon; Too Many Christmas Story Airings; Bowl Games on NFL Network?"
By Solomon Davis

Both seasons of Flavor of Love have been seen several times on VH1 and now another marathon is scheduled for Sunday, December 30? How much of Flavor Flav do we really need to see on VH1 in one year? I thought Flavor of Love was a thing of the past since the spin-off I Love NY has already completed 2 seasons. Why is VH1 going backward and airing Flavor of Love all over again? I can see airing a Flavor of Love 3 but to see more airings of the first two seasons again after the 30th will just make me wanna puke.

Why in the world is TBS airing the same Christmas movie back to back on Christmas Eve and on Christmas? A Christmas Story is airing at 8pm and 10pm on Christmas Eve (and all day on Christmas, which I won't rant about since who watches TV on Christmas Day?) and I just can't figure why they would not air a different movie at 10pm, since the same movie will air all day on Christmas Day anyway. They should premiere the movie on Christmas Eve at 8pm, then air other holiday movies the rest of the night and their Christmas Story marathon on Christmas Day from like 10am-8pm instead of this 24 hour airings thing. There are tons of Christmas Movies they can air on Christmas Eve but they want to show the same holiday movie all evening and all day on Christmas Day? This seems like something TV Land would do and I have to say I'm very surprised at such a stupid programming decision by TBS. TBS should get holiday programming tips from Hallmark since that channel is airing All I Want for Christmas at 8pm and A Grandpa for Christmas at 10pm on Christmas Eve.

Why is college football's Texas Bowl being aired on the NFL Network on Friday, December 28? It is not Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys, which is the real "Texas Bowl," so this does not belong on this network. When I purchased the NFL Network through Comcast I was told it is the 24-hour NFL Network. So why would a College Football Bowl Game be seen if it is supposed to be 24-hour NFL programming?? No wonder everyone is complaining about this channel. They make you buy it for an extra price and not many people have it and the stupid NFL schedules games on here on Thursday and Saturday nights late in the season. This Bowl Game is what you call misleading customers who they think are purchasing a NFL network and then realized they purchased the "All-Football Network" instead. Change your name already! Maybe they will air local high school football championship games next.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: C.S.I.: Miami - The Fifth Season; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Sports Talk and Just Shoot TV Land

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we travel south to sunny Miami for C.S.I.: Miami - The Fifth Season. C.S.I.: Miami stars David Caruso, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Khandi Alexander, Jonathan Tigo, Rex Linn and Eva La Rue.



C.S.I.: Miami - The Fifth Season (Paramount Home Video/CBS DVD, $64.99)

Lead Criminalist Horatio Caine (David Caruso) is targeted by adversaries old and new in the fifth season of CSI: Miami. As the danger grows for Caine, he and the rest of his team - Calleigh (Emily Procter), Eric (Adam Rodriguez), Alexx (Khandi Alexander), Ryan (Jonathan Togo), Frank (Rex Linn), and Natalia (Eva La Rue) - must go the limit to solve their biggest cases yet.

This 6-disc set contains all 24 episodes of the fifth (2006-07) season. The episodes are featured in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio. It has a running time of 17 hours, 28 minutes. The attractive packaging features a holofoil photo of David Caruso wearing his trademark sunglasses on the cover. Some palm trees and the Miami skyline can be seen in the background. The inside case is in a book format that you can flip through to get to the discs. There is a photo of Procter, Alexander and Rodriguez on the front and Linn, Togo, La Rue and Caruso on the back. Each disc features a different photo of one of the cast members and the show logo. The menus are also very stylish and easy to navigate. They have a montage a video clips, with some instrumental music playing in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1), and Special Features. On the Set Up menu, you can choose either Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish 2.0 Surround. Closed captioning is availble for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. This is the first time that the show has lacked "Complete" in the title. The episodes have running times of 41-44 minutes in length. There is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of the music has been changed.

There is an impressive amount and variety of special features included. There are 5 audio commentaries available on the first four discs. They all provide some interesting trivia and behind the scenes details on the making of the episodes. Director Sam Hill, Co-Executive Producer Sunil Nayar and Brian O'Neill (Locations Manager) provide commentary for the season premiere, "Rio." Director Sam Hill, Adam Rodriguez and Carey Meyer (Production Designer) do the commentary for the 100th episode, "Death Pool 100." Jonathan Togo, Writer Corey Miller and Larry Detwiler (Visual Effects) sit down for the commentary on "Death Eminent." Eva La Rue and Writer/Consultant John Haynes provide the commentary on "Darkroom." Director Karen Gaviola and Gonzalo Menendez (Clavo Cruz) do the commentary on "Man Down."

Five interesting and entertaining featurettes on the creating of the episodes add up to around one hour of bonus content. Here is the breakdown:

"Rio Grand: CSI: Miami Goes to Rio" (Disc 1 - 8:43) - This featurette includes interviews with Co-Executive Producer Sunil Nayar, Adam Rodriguez, Executive Producer Ann Donahue, Producer Sam Hill, Producer Don Tardino, David Caruso (archival footage), Producer/Director Joe Chappelle and Location Manager Brian O'Neill. They talk about the process and how they scouted locations, how they wrote the story, how they told the audience that they were in Rio, and whether or not they were allowed to bring guns into the country.

"If Looks Could Kill: Special F/X Makeup" (Disc 2 - 13:38) - This featurette includes interviews with Department Head Make-up Cheri Montesanto, Executive Producer Ann Donahue, Special Effects/Make-Up Matt Smith. They talk about how they create the beauty looks and dead wounds, various visual effects, how various scenes were shot (body blows up from gases, collapsing of lung, giant stomachs, guy gets his head severed, guy gets his legs blown off).

"Turning Up the Heat: The Look of CSI: Miami" (Disc 4 - 9:38) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Ann Donahue, Director of Photography Eagle Egilsson, Director of Photography Charles Mills, Production Designer Carey Meyer, Art Director Roland Rosenkranz and Colorist Mark Wilkins. They talk about how they try to distinguish the show from Vegas, the shooting at the lab and on location, how they use a lot of color (orange and greens) on the sets, and how they do the color correction. They are able to create a colorful, rich, sexy and wet look. CSI: Miami has always had the coolest look of the CSI series in my opinion.

"Dressing The Part" (Disc 5 - 5:57) - Costume Designer Andrea Federman is interviewed in this featurette. She talks about how they have to sell that the show is in Miami. Each character gets one outfit per episode. She talks about the various looks of the different characters this season and shows off some of the clothes in a closet.

"The Real MDPD with Jonathan Togo" (Disc 6 - 25:29) - This featurette includes interviews with Jonathan Togo, Capt. Bill Press - CSI Bureau, Criminalist 2/DNA Adriana Kristaly, Forensic Artist Samantha Steinberg, Criminalist Supervisor/Firearms CSI Adrian Nunez, CSI Bureau - Frederick Van Loan, CSI Kit and Van Special Patrol Bureau/Marine Patrol Sgt. Marvin Freels, Special Patrol Bureau/SRT Lt. James Tietz, and Special Patrol Bureau/SRT Sgt. Raymond Melcon. Jonathan Togo tours the SRT training center and lab. He goes to each area and the specialist in that area details their job. He asks some interesting questions and is very familiar with the terminology. This was a very interesting and informative segment.

A playable demo for the CSI: Hard Evidence PC game is also included.

Another excellent season and DVD release for CSI Miami. This is one series that may have started a little slow but has improved each season. They always keep it fresh with a variety of cases and storylines. Some memorable episodes this season were "Going Under," "Darkroom," "Throwing Heat," "No Man's Land" and "Just Murdered." With the writer's strike, now is a good time to catch up any episodes that you may have missed. If you've already seen the episodes, the commentaries and special features will give you new insights on the making of the show.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4.5/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Miami CBS.com Official Site
CSI: Miami TV.com Page

Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 15, 2007
"Petrino: The Coward; The Mitchell Report: On 24/7; Just Shoot TV Land"
By Solomon Davis

How can Bobby Petrino call himself a professional the way he jumped ship on the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week to coach a college football team? He is a classless punk who should never be allowed to apply for a janitor position in the NFL because you just don't run out on a organization like that when you are the head coach. If he had a ounce of class, he would have never left a note for the organization to read he was not returning because real men don't do things like that. He is nothing but a coward since he wasn't man enough to resign face to face after signing a contract. There was only 3 games left in the Falcons horrible season and he runs away like a scared little girl. So I wonder how the the players for the Arkansas Razorbacks feel to know they will be coached by a classless punk like Petrino? This man is no doubt the weasel of the year and should not be coaching anywhere even if it's college football.

The Mitchell Report was the breaking sports news on Thursday during, and on the 6pm SportsCenter, do you believe it lasted the entire hour? It preempted the regularly scheduled shows like Around the Horn and PTI. I mean was it really necessary to talk about this story for 60 minutes and nothing else? You would think after 45 minutes it would be time to start talking about another sport but ESPN just was non-stop with this steroid story and it became the absolute worst hour of my sports watching life. Not only that but the 24/7 ESPNews Network was covering the story non-stop from the time it broke at 2pm and made me feel like baseball was the only sport in America. Why does ESPN have to go
overboard when it comes to major sports news? Man I wish FoxSports Net had a 24 hour sports network so I could ignore ESPN at times like this.

Well it's clear that TV Land is going FORWARD instead of in looking in the past when it comes to acquiring new shows each year. The shows just seem to keep getting newer each year and once 2008 starts TV fans will be treated to the show Just Shoot Me. The show launches in late January and will air every night at midnight for an hour. Just another TV show that has nothing to do with Classic TV and for some reason TV Land is starting off a New Year with Garbage. No one should be surprised if TV Land picks up Will and Grace in January of 2009 since shows close to this decade seem to be their main objective every year.

My Weird TV Moment of the Week:
Monday, December 10, 2007: During the Monday Night Football game, Atlanta Falcons owner was asked if would he take Michael Vick back after he gets out of Prison and his response was: "As long as Michael Vick keeps himself in shape and stay away from the "fried chicken and french fries." He should have said hot 'dogs.'

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

TV Rebels: The Dick Van Dyke Show; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Disappearing Tuesday Sitcoms on ABC; Frank TV Airs Too Late; Morning Show Wedding Dance

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! But wait! This Saturday we won't have the regular mini-DVD review as we have a special for you! However don't worry, Solomon's Weekly Rant is still on in its regular day and spot.
We have gotten special permission to publish at least 6 different essays on TV shows that will be featured in the upcoming book TV Rebels: 100 People and Programs That Shaped the Medium by author Lou Orfanella. The book is still in the works and will be released in 2009. Once a month, each month (for the next six months at least) we will bring you one of his excerpts from his pending book. So, this is a little exclusive and will help you prepare for the book coming in 2009!
But first here is a little about Lou: Lou Orfanella's latest book is the fiction collection In a Flash: Twenty-One Short, Short Stories. In Excursions: Poetry and Prose he brings together many genres of literature including the direct address, fiction, collaborative writing, and a novella in poems. He is the author of the poetry collections Streets of New York, Allurements and Lamentations, Composite Sketches, The Last Automat, Permanent Records, How I Happened and Summer Rising, River Flowing and the work of nonfiction Scenes from an Ordinary Life: Getting Naked to Explore a Writer's Process and Possibilities. He contributed chapters to the books Reel Rebels, When Genres Collide, and Rationales for Teaching Young Adult Literature. His columns, essays, articles, reviews, and poems have appeared in many national and regional publications. He holds degrees from Columbia University and Fordham University and teaches writing at Western Connecticut State University and English in the Valhalla, New York school district. He has presented dozens of public readings of his work and offers individual and group workshops on topics including poetry, fiction, memoir, journalism, and family history. He can be contacted at LORFANELLA@hotmail.com.

So without further adieu, we bring you the first column of TV Rebels:

The Dick Van Dyke Show: The Sophisticated Ensemble Comedy
Two years before the 1961 premiere of The Dick Van Dyke Show veteran television writer Carl Reiner had created a series for himself called Head of the Family. The pilot failed to sell but was seen by producer Sheldon Leonard who suggested a casting change for the lead role. Although young comic and daytime TV host Johnny Carson was considered, the role of Rob Petrie went to the multifaceted entertainer Dick Van Dyke who had gained national recognition via his Broadway and motion picture performances in the musical Bye Bye Birdie. While Van Dyke's name graced the title of the series, it was an ensemble that relied as much on co-stars Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Richard Deacon, and occasionally Reiner as it did on the headliner himself. Additionally, it leaned on a more sophisticated humor than most of the comedies to that point.
Situations comedies had generally been produced as pure family fare with an attempt to cram in as many quick laughs as possible. Entertain the kids, don't offend the adults, and don't require too much thinking on the part of the audience. "Dick Van Dyke was the first sitcom that was rated A-for Adult. Rob and Laura Petrie were sensible, grown-up people. They were funny and they did funny things. They were not the Burnses, who were zany and did zany things. Nor were they madcap Margie and her foolish father or the warbling Partridges. Laure and Rob Petrie were not silly people. They didn’t act; they behaved. They were substantial-more so than Donna and the rest of the Stones. That's just it: the Petries weren't stone, they were...clay. They were like real people. Real people who made jokes, but weren't jokes." (Mitz 181). The Dick Van Dyke Show helped television grow up a bit.
A major change brought about by The Dick Van Dyke Show involved the way writers looked at their audiences. Audiences were given credit for more intelligence than had been the case in the past. While most sitcoms focused on a main character cooking up schemes and finding him or herself in ridiculous situations and took place primarily in one venue, be it the home or workplace, here in an almost literary style, Rob Petrie had both work and family lives and it was assumed that audience could accept the two "plot" lines. Sight gags and slapstick pratfalls were part of Van Dyke’s repertoire of comedic techniques, but were not, as was the cast with so many previous comedies seen as essential to getting a laugh from the audience. Good writing and intelligent dialogue were trusted to lead to the payoff. Another sign of growth was the deeper character development that was afforded others in the cast. What was happening to, and thought about by, wife Laura and coworkers Buddy and Sally was as significant as what Rob was experiencing.
"The show's unique blend of wit and warmth would prove beyond any argument that a situation comedy could be sophisticated and urbane-and still deliver a sizable audience. In the space of only five years, Carl Reiner and his company of actors, writers, and fellow producers had succeeded in creating a work of such consistent intelligence and invention that it would set a new standard for quality television-a standard that still serves as a benchmark for prime-time comedy to this day. As few television shows had done before, and very few have done since, The Dick Van Dyke Show would forever alter the way we watch television." (Waldron 300).

Works Cited
Mitz, Rick. The Great TV Sitcom Book. New York: Perigee, 1983.
Waldron, Vince. The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book. New York: Hyperion, 1994.

Stay tuned next month for another installment of TV Rebels as we take a look at the legendary Norman Lear! Should be fun!


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 8, 2007
"Disappearing Tuesday Sitcoms on ABC; Frank TV Airs Too Late; Morning Show Covers Wedding Dance"
By Solomon Davis

What's up with the disappearance of Caveman AND Carpoolers on Tuesday nights? It seems like its one preemption after another with no new episodes in sight. Are the ratings that bad for both shows? It's easy to just do a time slot change instead of leaving both shows in the timeslot to fail. ABC just go ahead and make the announcement that the two shows are not coming back because I already saw that next Tuesday in the 8pm Hour they will be preempted again for holiday airings of Shrek the Halls and Winnie the Pooh & Christmas, Too. The only thing the specials are doing is making viewers forget all about the the two comedies which is probably their plan anyway so they can have a reason to pull both shows.

Why does TBS have to put Frank TV in the 11pm slot on Tuesdays? I mean for me it conflicts with local news and SportsCenter on ESPN and even the re-airing is after 1am in the morning. How bout having Frank TV air between 8pm and 10pm and CUT DOWN some of the encores of Family Guy? Family Guy is on from 8pm to 10pm and I'm sure Frank TV being a new show can fit somewhere in there. I mean does TBS want people to see the show or not? But they do label it as a late night TV show.

There was a clip of a recently married couple on YouTube dancing at their wedding reception and the mornings shows like Good Morning America and The Early Show wanted to keep showing them dancing OVER and OVER. Who cares that they were dancing at their wedding reception? And did the wedding couple really need to be interviewed by the Early Show just because they were dancing and acting silly? The Early Show can't find any other story to talk about and have to discuss YouTube videos of married couples dancing to rap music? Is that all it takes to get a interview on TV these days? Clearly the DUMBEST feature story of the year. Maybe I should record a video for this blog with me laughing at Emmit Smith on ESPN while I eat nachos. I wonder if The Early Show would interview me?

My Weird TV Moment of the Week:
Thursday, December 6, 2007: During the Bears/Skins game on the NFL Network, a fan ran out of the stands and attacked a player on the field and NFL Network immediately CUT away from the situation. WHY?? Security Had already tackled him so what did NFL Network think was going to happen?


Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Futurama - Bender's Big Score!; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Same 'Ole Merrython; TV One Is So Selective; Same TNT NBA Promos

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we take a look at 20th Century Fox's Futurama - Bender's Big Score!. Futurama - Bender's Big Score! is a direct to DVD movie featuring the hit Fox animated series. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Futurama - Bender's Big Score!:

Futurama - Bender's Big Score! (20th Century Fox, $29.99) proves once again that animated Fox sitcoms don't die, but instead they just take on a new life elsewhere. This direct-to-DVD movie doubles as what will be the first episode of the new season of the series (which has been "on hiatus" for the past four years) as new episodes return to the airwaves sometime next year, this time on Comedy Central. All of the old characters that we knew and loved from the original airing of the series are back for this DVD, proving that a little time off doesn't always mean that everything is going to change.
The movie itself brings back the typical and bizarre plots that we have all come to know and love about Futurama. The movie begins with the Planet Express Corporation is taken over by scammers, thanks to the entire crew falling for a bunch of e-mail scams that they receive. Bender even ends up opening a virus infected e-mail, which of course considering Bender himself is a computer, he can be infected by the virus--and is. In fact, the virus that the scammers gave him cause Bender to turn on his crew when the scammers decide to fully take advantage of the crew. Matters only get worse when it is discovered that Fry has a tattoo of Bender on his butt that has a time travel code, which the virus-infected Bender uses to essentially destroy the past. How will it all turn out? The only way to know is to watch the movie for yourself... I don't want to spoil the whole plot! Guest stars in the movie include Sarah Silverman, Mark Hamill, Coolio, and even Al Gore.
The movie itself is presented in widescreen and the audio is presented in Dolby Digital surround sound. This being released by 20th Century Fox means that special features were not neglected. In fact, there are some very nice special feature on the DVD, starting with a commentary from Matt Groening and the stars of the show. Next, we have Futurama Returns!, an animated comic book reading about the story of how Futurama returned--is is mostly meant to be humorous. And if you really want to see something that is supposed to be a joke, you have to see the next special feature, Everybody Loves Hypnotoad. Basically, this is billed on the set as the TV hit of the future. It features 23 minutes of Hypnotoad blinking his eyes. Nothing else, at all. We have some animated storyboards of deleted scenes included on the set. Next, we have an animated promo for the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." It even has a video commentary on it from Al Gore and Matt Groening. All of those math geeks out there will love the special feature "Bite My Shiny Metal X," which features an actual professor of mathematics giving a lecture about the math references in Futurama. There is a copy of the original script of the movie that you can read along with on the screen. And finally, there are some character and design sketches. Wow! That is a lot of special features!
Any Futurama fan MUST own this DVD, it would be foolish not to. Even if you are just a casual fan, you will definitely want this DVD. It will air on Comedy Central eventually anyway, but it won't be as impressive as this DVD for certain. This shiny metal DVD is definitely worth buying!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(5/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Futurama TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 1, 2007
"Same 'Ole Merrython; TV One Is So Selective; Same TNT NBA Promos"
By Solomon Davis

Why does TV Land feel the need to start the Merrython today when it is the same type of Merrython that's been aired the last 7 years? It's not like it's nothing NEW and EXCITING just the SAME and PLAIN shows. I have no idea why TV Land was in a rush to show a full day of Christmas episodes from the TV shows already on their schedule. Do us all a favor TV Land and save this CRAP for the weekend before Christmas and stop pretending you are doing us TV fans a favor. TV Land has scheduled another Merrython Dec. 24, but yes same shows they always air.

Even though TV One is a cable channel geared toward African Americans, that doesn't mean that they have to be so SELECTIVE with the shows they put on their schedule. It's very strange that black sitcoms like The Jeffersons, Benson, Gimme a Break! and Diff'rent Strokes have not been added to TV One since day one of the network. And no that one day marathon of Gimme a Break! to promote the Season 1 DVD does not count! Why does it have to be only true black sitcoms like Good Times, 227, Roc, Eve, and Martin? I really hope this strange selection process of TV one shows changes in the future so TV fans can see sitcoms like Webster, CPO Sharkey, Getting By, and Anthony Anderson before he was in All About the Andersons in the sitcom Hang Time.

The new NBA season is in progress and when watching a NBA game on TNT you see the same commercials from last season. Why are NBA fans still watching all those Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade commercials from last season? TNT has to know fans are sick of seeing Wade begging Barkley's to be in his T-Mobile Fave 5. Then you have that "3-2-1 and the crowd goes wild" commercial. That's the commercial with people pretending they are taking a last second shot before the buzzer sounds. Is it because Barkley is a TNT studio analyst that us fans have to continue seeing old cell phone commercials featuring Barkley? Seeing him in the studio at halftime and after the game is more than enough.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Christmas Time in South Park; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Cartoons on Thanksgiving on Nick at Nite; NFL Thanksgiving Games

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we take a look at Comedy Central/Paramount's Christmas Time in South Park. South Park of course is the popular cable animated series that is full of laughs for all ages. Join Cartman and the gang for all the holiday fun. Get your hats & coats on! See skees53's mini-DVD review of Christmas Time in South Park:

Christmas Time in South Park (Comedy Central DVD, $19.99) lets us all celebrate the holidays with our favorite foul-mouthed children from South Park, Colorado. The single disc release brings seven Christmas themed episodes of the Comedy Central hit series together in one compilation. Some may be confused and think that this has already been released on DVD, but it hasn't--there was a 2000 release called Christmas in South Park which was released by Warner Brothers that contained only three episodes, only one of which carried over onto this DVD. Many great Christmas classics are included on this DVD. Kyle thinks he is going crazy when a piece of crap (literally) starts talking to him in "Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo." The kids all decide to spend Christmas with Cartman's family when a family friend--Charles Manson--decides to break out of prison with Cartman's uncle in "Merry Christmas Charlie Manson!" Mr. Hankey returns in "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics." Mr. Hankey is too busy with his wife and three... nuggets... in "A Very Crappy Christmas," so it is up to the boys to return the Christmas spirit to South Park. Cartman has been naughty so he decides to help the citizens of Iraq, with the help of Jesus and Mr. Hankey, in "Red Sleigh Down." Kyle's brother Ike is going back to Canada after his birth parents come to take him back, but how will the boys react when they find out that the town is spending money to bring Ike back instead of buying Christmas gifts? Find out in "It's Christmas in Canada." Finally, Stan helps the Woodland Critters build a manger in "Woodland Critter Christmas," but it all backfires in the typical South Park fashion.
The DVD doesn't come in the standard type case that you would expect for a single disc release, but instead comes in packaging that looks like one of those Little Golden Books that we all used to read as a child. It almost makes the set appear to be a nice thing that you can watch with the whole family, but don't be fooled. After all, it IS South Park. The packaging includes a description and the original airdate of each and every episode and also includes a memorable quote from each episode. The video and audio quality of the episodes tends to vary from episode to episode, mostly because these episodes are taken from all of the first eight seasons, but in general there are no real issues to be concerned with. The episodes all appear to be unedited, running at their original 22 minutes each.
The DVD has nothing to offer as far as special features are concerned, and every single one of these episodes can be found in one of the previous season releases of South Park. So, this DVD may not be particularly impressive to the average South Park fan, but for those that must own everything related to South Park or those that simply love Christmas episodes are certain to enjoy the DVD. This isn't a bad DVD at all, but it would have been nice if they could have thrown in some holiday related special features to spice up the set a little bit. A release like this really shouldn't be a plain episodes only release, especially when every episode on it has already been released on DVD at least once. But if you can pick this set up at a reasonable price (under $10 or so), then you'd probably be happy with the set and be glad to have it. Head on up to South Park and look for the bargains!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
South Park TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, November 24, 2007
"Cartoons on Thanksgiving on Nick at Nite; NFL Thanksgiving Games Being Treated Like the Super Bowl"
By Solomon Davis

I came home around 11:10pm on Thanksgiving night to watch some sitcoms like George Lopez and Fresh Prince and found out that Nick at Nite decided to air Rugrats movies after 11pm?? How many children would be up watching cartoons after 11pm? And to make things worse, at midnight there was a filler airing of SpongeBob which made me think it was 9am in the morning. Do the people at Nick at Nite think parents let their kids stay up later at night because there is no school the day after Thanksgiving? There are no children up watching cartoons after midnight and Nick at Nite felt the need to remove all the regularly schedule sitcoms to entertain kids after 9pm to 12:30am which is the dumbest programming decision by Nick at Nite in 2007. Maybe Nick at Nite can air Christmas cartoon specials like Jimmy Neutron from 1am to 6am on Christmas Eve since there are no kids sleeping on Christmas Eve.

NFL games on Thanksgiving Day are still a regular season game so why do fans have to watch musical performances at halftime like it is Super Bowl Sunday? The guys in the studio can easily just talk about what happened during the first half of the game and preview the upcoming NFL games on Sunday. But to extend halftime just so someone can get on stage and sing is just plain stupid. It's bad enough we have to stomach these pointless musical performances like Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during halftime of the Super Bowl, so can we at least have a regular halftime show on Thanksgiving day?


My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Sunday, November 18, 2007: On Sunday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills kicked a field goal to cut the New England Patriots lead to 42-10 in the 4th quarter and the coach of the Bills started clapping? Think they were going to come back?
Monday, November 19, 2007: Good Morning America - On "Melody's Money Minute," her holiday shopping tips was, "use CASH instead of CREDIT." She gets paid to tell GMA viewers that OBVIOUS TIP? HA!

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Captain N and the New Super Mario World; Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today week we take a look at Shout! Factory's Captain N and the New Super Mario World. Captain N and the New Super Mario World aired in 1991 where NBC amped up their Saturday mornings by combining two of their animated powerhouses into one half-hour time slot with Captain N & Super Mario World! See my mini-DVD review of Captain N and the New Super Mario World:

Captain N and the New Super Mario World (Shout!, $29.99) brings all 10 half-hours of two of the most popular animated powerhouses into one half-hour time slot with Captain N & Super Mario World!
Based on the hit video game of the same name, Super Mario World completes the animated adventures of Nintendo's iconic heroes, Super Mario Brothers, Princess Toadstool and their new dinosaur friend, Yoshi.
In this third and final season of Captain N: The Game Master, Mother Brain (Metroid) and her Forces of Chaos continue to threaten the freedom of Videoland. Only game master Kevin Keene and the N-Team-Princess Lana, Simon Belmont (Castlevania), Mega Man, Kid Icarus and Gameboy-can keep them from conquering the universe. Each episode runs approx. 22:30...combining both shows. There are 3 chapter stops, which is always handy...one chapter is the opening credits, then the Super Mario World segment, then the Captain N segment. There are 10 half-hours, but actually it is 20, since each half-hour has two mini-episodes. The video is decent but it looks dusty with debris...Super Mario Bros. 3 looked better. The audio is decent, nothing too bad about it. Packaging has a nice outer box with Captain N and the gang on the top, followed by the logos of both shows, then Mario and the gang on the bottom. The back cover has information on the series and a cast picture of both shows together. Inside the box is two slim cases. Each disc has its own slim case. The slim cases are colorful and have a character each from both shows on the covers with nice episode listings on the back of each slim case. First disc is in blue and the second disc is in yellow, and both discs have the same artwork with the entire cast of both shows.
The menu screen has Play All, Captain N Only, Super Mario World Only, Episode Selection, and whatever the extra is on the disc. The main menu starts with the opening theme of the show..then it comes to the options. Episode Selections lists the episodes where you can choose the scenes (the same as the chapter stops). What is cool is that when you highlight one, a preview plays on a screen on the right, but it lags the menu.
Moving on to the extras. Both discs have one each. Disc one has a Storyboard-to-Screen: Opening title Sequence that lasts about a minute. See how it was made! Disc two has Original Concept Art for Yoshi of Super Mario World that runs like 54 seconds.
I highly do recommend any fan of Super Mario or Captain N to pick up the set. Now, I'm not a fan of Captain N (I never watched it really), so I'm not familiar with the show much, but it seems a complete series set already came out. I remember there was a Captain N and the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3...I wonder why the Super Mario Bros. 3 set didn't have Captain N, but this set does? I'm not an expert, so I can't really tell why they did it...but I think this marks the end of all the Mario series on DVD! I like the original better (Super Mario Bros. Super Show) of them all, but the last two were good, too! Pick it up!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(3/5 stars)

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Related links:
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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, November 17, 2007
"Still No Fresh Prince DVD; Strange Combination of Marathons on TV Land Thanksgiving"
By Solomon Davis

Why was the last season of Full House released this month and still no Fresh Prince DVD releases no where to be found? What is the big holdup with the final two seasons of Fresh Prince? I mean Full House has had three DVD releases in 2007 and you mean to tell me that Fresh Prince couldn't at least get a season 5 release in 2007? It has been 14 months since the last Fresh Prince DVD release and us fans have been waiting and waiting to get more releases to complete the series on DVD and to see no releases at all in 2007 from Warner Brothers really STINKS.

Why does the marathon schedule on TV Land for Thanksgiving have to be a mixture of all types of TV programming? Why not have either a marathon of a sitcom, marathon of movies, or a reality show? No need to mix everything up and have viewers watch Sanford and Son, I Love Lucy, a movie, and then a reality show all in the same day. And even if TV Land wanted to slice the day in half and have one part with sitcoms and the other with movies and reality shows that would be better. Looks more like a "whatever-thon" which is not surprising coming from the network we call "The Land of All Types of TV."


My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Tuesday, November 13, 2007: Today Show Hour 4 - Segment on whether you should have sex with your ex since the weather is getting colder. What the?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007: Today Show Hour 4 - Kathie Lee Gifford took questions from the crowd and a woman asks her, "I heard you mention you were going through menopause so how are you dealing with aging?" Kathie Lee's look was like HUH?

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Reviews: DuckTales Vol. 3 and TaleSpin Vol. 2 (Nov.13); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we take a look at Walt Disney Home Entertainment's DuckTales: Volume 3 and TaleSpin: Volume 2. Both series were very popular in the early '90s on Disney's very popular syndicated block called The Disney Afternoon. DuckTales was about a wealthy duck who takes care of his nephews while TaleSpin was about a bear working for a cargo company. As with all of the shows in the Disney Afternoon, they were action and adventure filled! See my mini-DVD reviews of both sets:

DuckTales: Volume 3 (Walt Disney, $34.99) brings the next 24 half hours of the very fun and interesting animated series on DVD on 3-discs. We return to Duckburg with zillionaire Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. This season you'll see them go on a journey to an African jungle, stowed away on an secret aircraft carrier, and rocketing into space to search for a lost "Money Bin." Join Scrooge and the gang battle nemesis such as Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glumgold, and Magica DeSpell.
The episodes are again in production order and leave off from where we last left off. On this set we start off with the episode "Duck to the Future" and end with two 5-part episodes, one introducing Bubba ("Time is Money"), and another introducing Gizmoduck ("Super DuckTales"). Now, the Gizmoduck 5-parter wasn't produced until a bit later, but Disney is giving them us this way, because the very next episode after the 5-part Bubba episode was an episode produced with both Bubba and Gizmoduck in them. They should have went with airdate order in the first place, so this mess wouldn't have happened. The episodes all run close to 22:50, all unedited I'm sure. There are two episodes that run like 22:32 and 22:35...they are parts two and three of the Bubba 5-parter. For some reason it is missing the "next time on DuckTales" preview. The other 5-part episodes have that along with the "previously on DuckTales" teaser. Each episode has 5 chapter stops.
The packaging has an outer box with three slim cases, holding each disc...it is designed very well once again and consistent with the previous two sets. Great photos and colors. My only gripe is, there is no show logo with a Volume 3 mention on the bottom or top of the cover. The side has it, but not the top or bottom...the first two sets had it, and even Talespin Vol. 2, which is out the same day as this set, does.
The menu screen has Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Sneak Peeks (disc one only) with the closing theme song playing in the background. Each disc has a different main menu. The first disc has the gang in a futuristic Duckburg, the second disc has the gang in the jungle, and the third has the gang with Gizmoduck! The Set Up option has options of Subtitles where we can turn on English or French subtitles, Return to Episode and Register Your DVD. Disc one has auto previews when we put the disc in, where see sneak peeks at other Disney movies/DVDs. When we go to episode selection, the episodes are listed with a screenshot from the episode. The menu is designed quite well and is easy to navigate.
The video and audio were both very good for the first two sets. No problems whatsoever. However, this set's video is not too good. You see flashing white dots/debris a lot, especially in the non-5-part episodes. Those two 5-part episodes look decent, but the rest is very disappointing. What happened, Disney? The audio is not that bad, maybe a little worse than the first two sets, though.
Anyhow, I still highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set. We are now just one more set away from finishing this series on DVD. If the pattern continues, it will be next November, but we hope it is sooner than that, so we don't have to wait for more of Scrooge and the gang! If you never saw the show, pick it up! It is great fun and probably the most interesting animated series of all-time! So, check your Junior Woodchuck Guidebook to find out where the series is on DVD for you to buy, or you can just click on the link below. Just don't sit in a time machine, or you'll be back in the stone age and you'll be stuck with Bubba!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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DuckTales TV.com Page


TaleSpin: Volume 2 (Walt Disney, $34.99) brings the next 27 half hours of the high flying animated series to DVD. Everyones favorite furry cargo pilot Baloo returns with Kit Cloudkicker as they take the skies as couriers for their friend and boss, Rebecca Cunningham. Her daughter Molly and mechanic Wildcat are also in on the fun. Join the Hire for Hire gang as they face off against the evil Col. Spigot.
The episodes are in airdate order once again, unlike sets like DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale, both of those are in production order. The episodes all run just under 23 minutes, all unedited. Baloo's best friend King Louie would be so happy and corporate big shot Shere Khan would love a great business. Each episode has 5 chapter stops, so if you want to skip to your favorite scenes, anytime.
The packaging is very similar to the first set. We get an outer box with three slim cases holding three discs. As with the first set, the packaging is very colorful and has a lot of photos.
The menu screen has Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Sneak Peeks (disc one only) with the closing theme song playing in the background. Set Up option has where you can have subtitles in English or French. When we go to episode selection, the episodes are listed with a screenshot from the episode. The menu is designed quite well and is easy to navigate.
The video and audio are both very good once again. There are no problems whatsoever with it...very nice job!
I highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set, even more if you have the first set. If you don't, then still pick this up! If you never saw the show, pick it up. It is great fun! Vol. 3 will for sure be the final volume, so we just have one more set to go after this! This means DuckTales, Chip 'n Dale and TaleSpin will be finishing soon on DVD! Wow! Darkwing Duck has probably another two sets still to go. As for this set, hurry today and order the DVD before Don Karnage and his evil Air Pirates pick it up before you! Spin it!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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TaleSpin TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, November 10, 2007
"This Writers' Strike is Ruining All Parts of My TV Life; Why is a Guest in the MNF Booth for an Entire Quarter?"
By Solomon Davis

Why can't there be some kind of agreement so that this writers' strike can be over and everyone can get their TV life back to normal? This strike is putting a HUGE DENT in my TV watching life and I just don't know how long I can take this. Due to the strike I can't see Letterman or Leno like I'm used to doing every night. I have no idea when I will see a new episode of new series such as The Big Bang Theory. And not only that but this strike has also affected my on-screen Comcast cable guide because the information has been inaccurate for Leno or Letterman. This TV season is turning out to be a NIGHTMARE that has no end in sight.

Why does there have to be a guest in the Monday Night Football booth for the entire 3rd quarter taking away the excitement of the actual game? That is just too long for fans to listen to someone in the booth that's not talking about something related to the game. Wouldn't a halftime guest be a lot better than interfering with the game while it's in progress? Listen to this ESPN: I'm not interested in listening to guests, just the game you advertised all week long for NFL fans to watch!

My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Wednesday, November 7, 2007: On Regis & Kelly, this conversation happened:
Kelly: I will be modeling a white chocolate dress today.
Regis: Is it edible?
Kelly: Yes, it's edible.
Regis: Can Regis have some?
Kelly: Sure, if Regis is a good boy he can have some.
Wow! They are too far away in age to have this kind of conversation.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

TV Alert!; Mini-DVD Review: Perry Mason S2, Part 2 (Nov. 13); Solomon's Weekly Rant: Why No Jay in 2009?; Morning SportsCenter So Special?

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! But first we have a TV alert for this weekend that is worth breaking in for from our regular Saturday blog programming!

Starting this weekend, Entertainment Tonight Weekend will count down its top 20 TV stars of all time, accompanied by material from 27 years of interviews and other footage.
The list includes Don Knotts, Andy Griffith, Johnny Carson, Michael J. Fox, Carol Burnett, Annette Funiccello, Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett and John Ritter. The No. 1 star will be revealed by Donny Osmond on Nov. 10.
Tune in the weekend of Nov 3 and Nov. 10 on ET Weekend! Check www.etonline.com for weekend show times in your area. In NYC? This weekend it will air Sunday at 3PM and Monday morning at 2:35am on WCBS and next weekend Saturday at 7pm and Monday morning at 2:35am. Check for your area's listings on their website or TV listings sites, such as TitanTV.com. Discuss the special with other fans HERE.
Now back to our regularly scheduled Saturday blog programming.
Today we take a look at CBS DVD's Perry Mason: The Second Season, Volume 2. Perry Mason of course is the very popular law series. The series stars the great Raymond Burr. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Perry Mason: The Second Season, Volume 2:

Perry Mason: The Second Season, Volume 2 (CBS DVD, $39.98) brings Perry Mason back to defend those that don't have a chance in court... yet they win anyway because Perry is just that amazing! Volume 2 brings the second half of the second season (15 episodes) together in a four-disc DVD set. This means Perry has 15 new cases that he has to do the impossible with--prove that his client that everybody thinks is guilty is actually innocent. Fortunately, he is pretty much always up against Hamilton Burger, a man that isn't quite as powerful as, say, Nancy Grace. We see Perry have to defend a woman that is accused of murdering the woman that was blackmailing her new husband in "The Case of the Romantic Rogue." It's all fun and games... until a comedian's friend is a accused of killing the advertising man that cut the comedian out of a lucrative deal in "The Case of the Jaded Joker." A woman is accused of killing her grandfather that she has never even met in "The Case of the Stuttering Bishop." In "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager," a woman makes promises to her kids in her will... which her granddaughter counts on when she gives IOUs to a poker parlor boss that suddenly turns up dead. We find out why kids and guns don't exactly mix in "The Case of the Deadly Toy." Bruises and an injured foot on a bird may help Perry solve a murder in "The Case of the Deadly Toy."
The four-disc set is presented in packaging that is very similar to all of the previous sets, and once again, CBS DVD has for some reason chosen to continue with the double slimcases on this set (a good choice in my opinion) as opposed to the regular cases that they have been using on many other sets lately. As has been the case with the previous sets, the video and audio quality of each episode is almost perfectly flawless, which is amazing for a series as old as this one. Of course, there is the occasional grain and such, but there is VERY little of that, and the quality is generally perfect. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital Mono (hopefully nobody seriously expected stereo) with closed-captioning available for those that require it for each episode. The episodes all appear to be unedited, running around 50 minutes each, and there isn't even a disclaimer stating that some episodes may be changed from their original versions as there is on some CBS DVD sets, although in all fairness, this show never used popular music in the first place. The set is very disappointing on the special features front (as in there are no special features at all), but then again, this isn't the first time this show has gone without special features. It doesn't help that many of the people that were involved with the show have passed on already (after all, the show is fifty years old), but certainly there are fans out there that can help. There has to be a reason that this show is a top seller on DVD! The verdict on this set: buy it now!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, November 3, 2007
"Why No Jay in 2009?; Why Is The Morning SportsCenter So Special?"
By Solomon Davis

NBC president Jeff Zucker has confirmed this week that NBC is removing Jay Leno from The Tonight Show in 2009 to make room for unfunny man Conan O'Brien which will makes my blood boil because Jay has been the funniest man on late night TV since 1992. Also when Jay is making people laugh he is not jumping up and down like a fool, he is standing there in one spot delivering jokes which is how comedy is supposed to be done. But Conan O'Brien who is unable to make people laugh by standing in one spot has to jump up and down like a monkey and make crazy facial expressions every night for someone to laugh. I just want NBC to know that they are making the biggest mistake in the history of their network by getting rid of the "King of Late Night TV" from The Tonight Show just so everyone can watch Conan do his clown act an hour earlier. A new title of the show can be "Late Night Clown" since his act will still be the same when he takes over as the new host of The Tonight Show. I hope Jay is on late night TV in 2009, even if it is an hour later in Conan's slot?

ESPN's SportsCenter that comes on weekday mornings has a rundown of topics on the right side of the TV screen of all the sports stories that will be talked about during the entire show. But you don't see this rundown on the SportsCenter's that air at 6pm and 11pm. Why can't there be an outline of sports topics on all the SportsCenters since some people might not be interested in in the sports they are talking about on the main screen. Can't believe no one at ESPN has the thought process of making the rundown on all SportsCenter episodes. It doesn't make sense having it on just mornings and not the evenings and late night...what if I'm not a morning person or am at work in the mornings? If you have it one, you should have them on all of them, I say.

My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Monday, October 29, 2007: On The View, at the start of the show the ladies noticed a fly on the table and all of them started running away from the table like it was a mouse or a rat. Ladies it wasn't that serious!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007: During the ESPN NBA telecast of Dallas Mavericks at Cleveland Cavaliers, for some reason play-by-play broadcaster Mike Tirico felt the need to bring up "Tony Kornheiser." Since Jimmy Kimmel got banned from the MNF booth for talking about him, should Tirico be banned now from NBA telecasts?

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Tales from the Crypt Season 7; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Roseanne Spin-Off?; Why Does The World Series Only Affect Sunday Night Football

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. Today we take a look at Warner Home Video's Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Seventh Season. Tales From The Crypt of course is the popular '90s HBO series...that was spooky but cool. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Seventh Season, just in time for HALLOWEEN:

Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Seventh Season (Warner, $39.98) brings the final lucky 13 episodes of the hit HBO series from the '90s together in a three-disc set right in time for Halloween. The Cryptkeeper is determined that he won't die without a fight though, as he brings more tales that are sure to make your spine tingle (and some that are just absurd) to your TV screen.
Among the episodes this season, we many great episodes. In "Last Respects," a cursed monkey paw is able to grant wishes--now who would really want those wishes? Ewan McGregor guest stars in "Cold War," where we discover who wins that ultimate fight between zombies and vampires (as if we ever wondered!). A man invents a way of reading memories of the deceased in "Report from the Grave," and it ends with "grave" results. What can a safecracker do when he can no longer hear? Find out in "Ear Today... Gone Tomorrow." And the series ends with "The Third Pig," which is an animated (and more humorous than scary) take on the story of "The Three Little Pigs." Brad Garrett even plays one of the pigs. Once again, the set features just one special feature, a tale from the comic book that the series was based upon, narrated by the Cryptkeeper himself. This time, the tale is "Fatal Caper."
The series began to tape episodes in England this season, meaning that we get lots of tales with British characters... but don't worry, it doesn't "kill" the horror. The only thing it really does to the series is dramatically reduces the number of well-known guest stars, but the series stays true to what it is supposed to be--horror stories. Sure, the earlier seasons were better and the show was ready to end by this time, but don't be mistaken, because there are still some jewels left in the tomb for this season. All of you boils and ghouls out there need to scare up enough money to treat yourself to this DVD set in time for Halloween!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, October 20, 2007
"Roseanne Spin-Off?; Why Does The World Series Only Affect Sunday Night Football?"
By Solomon Davis

The show The Big Bang Theory has been enjoyable until the actress Sara Gilbert showed up as a guest and her character was intimate with the Leonard character, played by fellow Roseanne alum John Galecki. I have not seen these two together for years since on Roseanne and have no interest in watching them together again on a new show in 2007. Sara Gilbert could have easily guest starred without hooking up with the Leonard character which seems like a Roseanne spin-off called "Revenge of David and Darlene." Laurie Metcalf was another Roseanne actress who appeared as Sheldon's mother and I just want CBS to know that Roseanne ended 10 years ago so what is up with the recycling of old Roseanne cast members? It is too funny because it is not really fresh.

Sunday Night Football is always affected when the World Series starts and I just can't understand why because Monday Football will be on Monday against Game 4 of the World Series. So why wasn't Monday Night Football preempted like Sunday Night football is all the time against the World Series? Every NFL fan doesn't watch the World Series so there really needs to be some kind of adjustment there so that SPORTS FANS can still have a option of watching the World Series or Sunday Night Football. I thought Bye weeks were only for NFL teams not the NFL Sunday Night Football schedule.

My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Sunday, October 21, 2007: The ESPN Sunday Night Interview between Chad Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson
Monday, October 22, 2007: On Regis and Kelly, all-week guest host Jimmy Kimmel jokes to Kelly, "My goal this week is to get you pregnant."

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: NCIS - Season 4 (Oct. 23); Solomon's Weekly Rant: The New Price is Right Is All Wrong

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. Today we we take a look at CBS DVD's Fourth Season of Navy NCIS. See Seth Thrasher's mini-DVD review of NCIS - The Fourth Season and:

NCIS - The Fourth Season (CBS, $64.99) brings us the wonderful but overpriced 4th season onto DVD. NCIS follows the thrilling adventures of a cutting-edge crew of special agents who operate under the command of Letor Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), a former Marine whose skills as an investigator are unmatched. This highly trained, tight-knit team travels the world investigating murder, espionage, and terrorism. This 6-disc set includes all 24 action-packed episodes along with quite a few special features, from this one of a kind series.
I love this show; though not having access to a DVR did inhibit my ability to view the 4th season. As a result, some of these episodes are new to me. Most are familiar, however, and all are classic NCIS – a wonderful mix of drama, comedy, technology, puzzle-solving...it truly is one of the best shows on TV. The team starts the season without the help of Gibbs, whose retired in Mexico. And Ziva's the prime suspect in an assassination attempt. Not good. Gibbs would eventually return to the team, and Ziva is obviously cleared, and order is restored. Over the course of the season, the team has quite a few interesting adventures that you're sure to love.
Once again, the video and audio of the set is extremely well done. Yet another DVD release of a new show that benefits solely from the age of the series. All episodes are in anamorphic widescreen and feature 5.1 Surround Sound. Even with NCIS not really being a scenery-intensive show, programs presented like this really make me glad I recently invested in an HDTV system. CBS is known for their questionable attention to special features, but they really knock this set out of the park. Space constraints of the news blog prevent me from detailing each one in depth, but there are commentaries, cast round-tables, several featurettes (Ducky's World, Production Design of NCIS, Dressing the Sets of NCIS, Prop Master, The Looks of NCIS, and Season of Secrets)...incredibly well-done job on the part of the folks of Paramount/CBS DVD in an area where they're normally prone to dropping the ball. Keep up the good work.
Really, my ONLY complaint with this set is the price point. $65 is absurd. And every NCIS release that comes out at this price point I *WILL* complain about. It's too high. But apparently NCIS continues to sell extremely well. No doubt this is thanks in part to discounted retailers, such as Amazon, which frequently offer sets WELL below the MSRP. For example, as of this writing, you can pre-order through Amazon via the handy link at the end of this review – helping to support Sitcoms Online at the same time – and the set will only cost $39.99 – a nearly 40% saving. And at $39.99 – this set is well worth the money. RECOMMENDED.

-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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Navy NCIS TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, October 20, 2007
"The New Price is Right Is All Wrong"
By Solomon Davis

On October 15 Drew Carey took over as host of the popular game show, The Price is Right, and just watching for five days makes it clear that he is all wrong for this show. He has yet to look comfortable during the show and always has a frozen smile which shows that he is very nervous. During the show he can't stop touching the pocket of his suit jacket and it seems like he struggles to explain the rules of certain games to contestants like he doesn't have a full understanding of the rules himself. Drew also talks way to fast when explaining the rules to contestants which makes him come off more like a temporary fill-in instead of the new host. When watching him on stage you don't get the feeling that it's HIS show because of the errors he has made all week. This show has really become hard to watch and he needs a lot of improvement if he is going to take full control of the new era of The Price is Right.
Drew definitely has to cut down his mistakes because it gives him a goofy image. Such as when one of the contestants spun the wheel on her first try, the arrow landed on 50 and Drew asked her did she want to spin again? Why wouldn't she want to spin again if the chances of someone beating 50 is over 50%? He also doesn't seem sure of himself on stage and I don't think anyone is ready to watch an insecure game show host. I have never in my life saw a game show host who lacks confidence and is not sure how to act around contestants. I think CBS made a huge mistake in selecting Drew Carey to replace Bob Barker because he may turn this into "the disaster era" of The Price is Right by the way he has fumbled his way through the show everyday this week.

My Weird TV Moment of the Week:
Friday, October 19, 2007: Reporter asking Joe Torre at his press conference, "Who would you recommend to replace you as manager? Joe's response, "I'm not in position to recommend anyone since I just lot my job," he jokes.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

ABC Fall Pilot Review: Samantha Who? - Premieres October 15; Solomon's Weekly Rant: ABC's Tricky Promos

Samantha Who? - Mondays at 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres October 15 at 9:30PM ET/PT


Christina Applegate (Married...with Children, Jessie) returns to network television in a comedy that offers a do-over in life.
What if you had the chance to start over, to do it all again? For Samantha Newly (Ms. Applegate), this fantasy becomes a reality after a hit-and-run accident leaves her in an eight-day coma. When she awakens in the hospital, she is surrounded by family and friends. The only problem is that she has no idea who they are - or who she is. In medical terms, Sam has retrograde amnesia, which allows her to fully function in the world but leaves her with no personal memories. Most people would deem this disorder a curse. But Sam may come to call it a miracle.

As she sets out to rediscover herself, Sam is forced to rely on the only people who can help her -- an eclectic bunch of friends and family. Although now strangers to Sam, it's not long before she begins to get an idea of who she was before the accident.

Sam will need to continue to piece together things from her past to guide her in discovering who she is... or was. After all, sometimes to get to the end of the story, the only place to start is the beginning.


Cast Details:

Christina Applegate as Samantha, Jean Smart as Regina, Jennifer Esposito as Andrea, Kevin Dunn as Howard, Barry Watson as Todd, Melissa McCarthy as Dena, Tim Russ as Frank

Christina Applegate (Samantha Newly) has garnered critical praise for her strength and versatility as an actress in theater, film and television. Applegate first gained widespread attention as the sexy and sarcastic Kelly Bundy on the long-running series Married... with Children. After a very successful 11-season run, she furthered her television success by starring in her own comedy series, Jesse. In 1999 the highly-rated show garnered Applegate a People's Choice Award as Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series and a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical. In 2004 Applegate returned to television as a guest star on Friends, as Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) younger sister, Amy. Her performance earned her an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role. She was nominated for an Emmy once again the following year for yet another witty performance.

Jennifer Esposito (Andrea) is one of the most sought out actresses in Hollywood, with an impressive body of work that encompasses theatre, television and film. Esposito most recently appeared as a guest star in five episodes of the critically acclaimed drama, Rescue Me. She also starred in Related, had a recurring role on New York Undercover and guest starred on Law & Order. In 1996 she gained favorable notice as Stacey Paterno, the spunky Brooklyn-born, Italian-American mayoral secretary on ABC's Spin City.
On this show, she plays Samantha's real best friend, Andrea.

Kevin Dunn (Howard Newly) has a vast resume that includes numerous motion picture and television roles. Dunn has made numerous guest appearances, including Prison Break, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lost and The Closer. He also starred in the ABC miniseries The Beach Boys: An American Family.
On this show, he plays Samantha's father, Howard.

Melissa McCarthy (Dena) first made her mark on the comedy stage, performing stand up in New York at The Improv and Stand Up New York. McCarthy was most recently seen as the clumsy culinary genius, Sookie St. James, in Gilmore Girls. She has also appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
On this show, she plays her supposed best friend, Dena who is sincerely supportive since the accident.

Tim Russ (Frank, the doorman) has been working in the entertainment industry for the past 30 years. His talents encompass a wide spectrum of the performing arts, including composing, music (guitar & vocals), writing, directing, voice-over and producing. On television he had series regular roles on The Highwayman, The People Next Door and Star Trek: Voyager.
On this show, he plays Frank, the doorman at Todd's apartment building that Samantha talks to.

Barry Watson (Todd) has his first job in Hollywood come when he was only 15 for the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. He is best known for his role as Matt Camden on the successful television family drama 7th Heaven, for which he also directed a couple of episodes, and for two seasons he had the lead role on the addictive ABC series What About Brian.
On this show he plays Samantha's only seemingly trustworthy acquaintance as boyfriend Todd. But will that trust last when he discovers that she cheated on him?

Jean Smart (Regina Newly) continues to exhibit her extraordinary talents in theater, television and film. In January 2006, Smart received her fourth Emmy nomination for her role as the troubled and medicated First Lady Martha Logan on 24. That same year the show won the Emmy for Best Drama and received a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Ensemble Cast. In 2001 Smart won her second Emmy Award for her guest-starring role on Frasier, and was nominated for Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her recurring role on The District. In the year 2000 she was awarded her first Emmy for her hilarious recurring role on Frasier. She starred in the HBO drama series Maximum Security, before starring in the popular sitcom Designing Women. Over the past few seasons she has starred on short lived sitcoms, In-Laws, opposite Dennis Farina, and Center of the Universe, opposite John Goodman.
On this show, she plays Samantha's mother, Regina, who she hasn't spoken to in 2 years.


Pilot Plot:

I have received the first two episodes of the series. The first episode, "Pilot," airing Oct. 15, Samantha awakens in the hospital and is surrounded by family and friends. The only problem is that she has no idea who they are - or who she is. Sam has retrograde amnesia, which allows her to fully function in the world but leaves her with no personal memories. Most people would deem this disorder a curse. But Sam may come to call it a miracle when she discovers what a horrible person she was before the accident.
"Pilot" was a story by by Cecelia Ahern and Donald Todd and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill.
Guest starring are William Abadie as Rene, Nakia R. Burrise as Dr. Kerry Hall, Jelynn Rodriguez as angry woman, Adam Jennings as barista and Brett Rickaby as AA leader.

The second episode I received is airing October 22 and is titled "The Job." In one quick morning, Samantha discovers a handful of surprising things about her old self -- not least of which is what she does for a living. When a board meeting offers a glimpse of her cutthroat and competitive workaholic former self, she ponders where new Sam should diverge from old Sam's path. Ultimately, she learns that having a clean slate doesn't necessarily mean you can ignore the past
"The Job" is written by Donald Todd and directed by Lee Shallat Chemel.
Guest starring are Joy Osmanski as Tracy, Rick Hoffman as Chase Chapman, Frank Maharajh as Dr. Kegoshian, B.J. Clinkscales as waiter, Dana Sorman as Jerri and Jamison Haase as Vic.


Analysis:

This show is very good. It is not as funny as a sitcom should be so far, but the storyline is very good despite being a cliche of sitcoms of the past. The amnesia storyline has been done so many times, but how about a whole series on it? I don't think that has been done, and right off the bat we are interested in this story. Christina Applegate shows her versatile skills on this show. She is in every scene! She is everywhere...from her parents house, boyfriend's house, a club, and an AA meeting?? She is wholesome, bad, sexy, and funny in the pilot. Her character has been in a coma for 8 days and when the pilot episode starts, she awakens. She has been in a coma due to a hit-and-run car accident. That is a storyline they can ponder in a later episode--who was the culprit? Anyway, the parents of Samantha are in the hospital room when she awakens from the coma. They are pretty funny and joke around even when she awakens. Her "supposed" best friend Dena is also there. Later we find out that she has not been friends with her in years but when she heard she was in a coma, she came to visit--everyday. And even better, she had amnesia so she can fake and say that she is her best friend. Her real best friend is Andrea, who is a slutty ditz. We meet her a bit later. But first we meet Todd, Samantha's boyfriend. It seems they had broken up before the accident, but her things are still at his apartment. The real best friend, Andrea calls Samantha to come to a club to celebrate her friend Rene's birthday. She goes and of course doesn't remember who Andrea is or Renee. Renee ends up being a guy...and her lover. So, we find out Samantha was a bad person before the amnesia. She later tells Todd about who Renee really is, as he thought it was a co-worker girlfriend. The pilot is really interesting and has a lot of twists. It is not that funny, but has some great lines that will make you chuckle. I really like Frank the doorman. He has some great lines.

The second episode is about Samantha finding out what she does for a living. I think it is a bit funnier than the pilot, but again it is the story that makes it interesting. Maybe they should have made this a one-hour comedy, a la Ugly Betty? But still this is one of the best half-hour shows out there, just not truly a sitcom per say. Anyway, we find out in this episode that Samantha worked for a big corporation and was all work. She was pretty mean, too to her secretary. She also is very scared of elevators. When the company has a big meeting, they expect Samantha to be there. Her co-workers all thought she was in rehab and don't know she has amnesia. Andrea also works at the company it seems. We see more of Dena in this, as she has really become a friend now.

Will Samantha ever regain her memory? She has brief flashes of her past in each episode so far, so maybe slowly she will remember? But does she really want to, as she was a very bad person. Now she is Good Sam. Maybe she can fix her mistakes of the past. It is fun to compare Good Sam vs. Bad Sam.

Conclusion:

All Christina Applegate fans will love this show. Her male fans will be extremely pleased as both the pilot and second episode has her in nice outfits. A nice gold outfit in one of the scenes in the pilot and just in her black bra in a scene in episode two. But, unfortunately she doesn't wear that dress you saw her holding in a promo, when she says, "oh my god, do I have a daughter?"
While the show is not downright funny yet, it is still watchable with an interesting story. With Applegate starring, we are assured we will get some laughs in future episodes. The show will be sampled for sure and it will have the highest ratings for a sitcom this season because it will get a 20 million lead-in from Dancing with the Stars each week. The question is, can it survive and build an audience when Dancing has its break from December-March? Let's hope so, because we need a breakout sitcom hit! So don't forget to tune in this Monday to watch this new series. Don't give me the excuse that you forgot to. You don't have amnesia like Samantha Newly does.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 10/12/07

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Samantha Who Photo Gallery



Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, October 13, 2007
"ABC's Tricky Promos"
By Solomon Davis

I have been watching ABC a lot lately and I have noticed the creativity in their promos for their new shows. The reason I say they are creative is because the network is not telling you the entire story, just part of the story. For example, I was watching the promo for Pushing Daisies and I heard the voice-over mention that 27 million viewers watched the first episode. Now part of that was true because 27 million did tune in at some point to sample the premiere episode but the average for the entire hour was 13 million. So obviously ABC has decided to be a little tricky in promoting their new shows to get more viewers. ABC did the same thing with Caveman and Carpoolers when it was mentioned during the promo the Tuesday night 8pm hour was the top new hour of comedy. Then I realized that it's the only full hour of new comedy on any network which means that ABC once again tried to trick viewers into watching those particular shows. So maybe this is something all networks do but I can only talk about ABC since most of the shows I watch is on that network. By having these tricky promos, ABC may have to explain to viewers if one of these shows were to be canceled if they were doing so well in the ratings.

My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Thursday, October 11, 2007: The Today Show Segment on "Secret Mommy Crushes"
Friday, October 12, 2007: Kelly Ripa telling Janet Jackson on Live with Regis & Kelly, "I'm in love with you and want to marry you."

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Entourage - Season Three, Part 2; Solomon's Weekly Rant: The Reappearance of Fresh Prince

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at HBO's Entourage - Season Three, Part 2. Entourage of course is the popular HBO series that is about a guy named Vince (played by Adrian Grenier) that is about to make it big in showbiz and moves to Hollywood in hopes that he will make it to the top. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Entourage: Season 3, Part 2:

Entourage: Season 3, Part 2 (HBO, $39.98) brings the last eight episodes of the third season (aired in spring 2007) together in a two disc set. Vince, Eric, Drama, and Turtle are back and trying to help Vince make it big in Hollywood. But with things going sour with Ari in the first part of season 3, how will they manage to accomplish this? You can find out all of these answers and more in the second part of the third season!
Now that Vince has a new agent, he could be getting new types of work... such as a film about Edith Wharton, as he could be getting in "Less Than 30." Drama is about to have a prank played on him by Pauly Shore (who plays himself) in "Gotcha!," but in a botched attempt to prevent it from happening, he accidentally gets on Chuck Liddell's (also playing himself) bad side. Ed Burns guest stars in "Return of the King," where Ari must coordinate a deal on Yom Kippur--before sundown. Drama's new series is about to premiere in "The Resurrection," but how will he react when he sees how the critics have reacted to it? The season ends with the guys having to go their separate ways (well, kind of) in "Adios Amigos," where they all move out of the mansion and into their own places.
Once again, the video and audio of the set is highly impressive, and exactly what one would expect from a recent series, if not even better. The episodes are all in widescreen and we have the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The special features on the set are just right, with audio commentaries on three episodes (featuring Doug Ellin, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, and Jerry Ferrara), a Museum of Television & Radio Panel discussion that gives the cast a chance to say what they want to say about the show, and an "Anatomy of Entourage" special feature that allows you to go behind the scenes to see the making of the season finale. Get your entourage together and watch this DVD set!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4.5/5 stars)

To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Entourage TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, October 6, 2007
"The Reappearance of Fresh Prince"
By Solomon Davis

Nick at Nite viewers had gotten used to seeing a new nightly schedule during the month of September and now in the past two weeks the Fresh Prince has reappeared on our TV screens. Nick at Nite has turned their schedule into a Fresh Prince sandwich with Home Improvement and George Lopez in between since Fresh Prince is the first show to start and end primetime. And even if it is because it is the top rated show, there is no reason to flood the schedule with the show and decrease the airings of your new shows that were probably gaining new fans. I'm a Fresh Prince fan and now I have finally become sick of seeing the show on Nick at Nite because I was used to the new schedule with different shows and now all I see is Fresh Prince all over the place. The one thing I will never understand is how Nick at Nite holds on to this one show and makes no attempt to find out if they have other hit shows on their schedule. That way Nick at Nite would be a more balanced network with several types of comedies and not just a channel with a Hip-Hop Comedy dominating the schedule very night. Is Nick at Nite so scared to find out if they have other hits?

My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Tuesday, October 2, 2007: Regis asks Kelly to rub his tie and Kelly's reply was, "Do you want me to rub up or rub down?"
Thursday, October 4, 2007: Cleveland Cavalier, LeBron James at Game 1 of the Indians/Yankees ALDS Game in Cleveland with a Yankees baseball cap on his head and not supporting his hometown team the Indians.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

ABC Fall Pilot Review: Carpoolers - Premieres October 2; Solomon's Weekly Rant: The Premiere Delay of New Fall Shows

Carpoolers - Tuesdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres October 2 at 8:30PM ET/PT

Four guys who carpool to work every day come to savor their commute as the only safe time to commiserate about jobs, families – and secrets. Even though "what happens in the carpool stays in the carpool," they'll go beyond the boundaries of this fast-moving commuter confessional to get involved in each other's lives and develop friendships.
The character details follow:

Gracen (Fred Goss, ABC's Sons & Daughters) is the unofficial leader of the carpool pack. As a professional mediator, he thinks he's a problem solver, but more often he's a causer. He seeks fairness in an unfair world, and so finds himself in the middle of situations because he’s compelled to be there. In the pilot, Gracen is stunned to learn that his wife makes more money than he does, which sets his resolve to assert his manly authority.

Laird (Jerry O'Connell, Crossing Jordan) is Gracen's playboy dentist neighbor and best friend. He thinks his life is an unending quest for stories – and women. In the middle of a messy divorce, he allows himself to live a little and taunts the other carpoolers with the freedom of his near-single status. He would never admit that he secretly misses marriage. Laird constantly leads the carpoolers into adventures, but once there, he isn't sure what to do.
Meet Laird, a dentist and recent divorce turned womanizer who was left with nothing intact but his libido. Laird's best friend, Gracen, is a mediator, a voice of reason, and the unofficial leader of the pack. Then there's self-sacrificing Aubrey, with a brood of kids and a stay-at-home couch-potato wife, and newlywed Dougie, the carpool neophyte who's willing to risk his life to save a coveted parking space for the team.

Aubrey (Jerry Minor, Arrested Development) is a sweet but intense pushover at the bottom of the family food chain. The daily ride has become the only peaceful time in his life. Forty-five minutes, two times a day – he needs the carpool the most. Always quick to come to the carpoolers' aid, he believes in the brotherhood almost to a fault. Only the carpoolers know he’s boiling inside, because "in the carpool lane, no one can hear you scream."

Dougie (Tim Peper, Guiding Light) is the eager newlywed. He doesn’t know all the rules of the Carpooler Society, often breaks them, and has to have the ways of the world explained to him by his tribal elders, the three other carpoolers. He and his wife, Cindy, are the perfect modern couple, but as you get to know them, you start to see their cracks. Dougie is the guy who seems to have it all together, yet he’s drawn to the carpoolers for a little excitement. The carpoolers will both instigate problems for Dougie and help him deal with the realities of life to come.

Cast Details:

Fred Goss as Gracen, Jerry O'Connell as Laird, Jerry Minor as Aubrey, Tim Peper as Dougie, Allison Munn as Cindy, with Faith Ford as Leila, and T.J. Baker as Marmaduke

Fred Goss (Gracen Brooker) is steeped in the entertainment business, as an actor, director, writer, producer and editor. As an actor, Goss starred in ABC's critically acclaimed Sons & Daughters. Along with his writing partner, he also created, wrote and served as executive producer and show runner on the series. In addition he directed the pilot, as well as four other episodes. Goss starred in Bravo's cult classic, Significant Others, and has also appeared in The Man Show and South Park. His first appearance in a TV comedy was on the hit series ALF.

Faith Ford (Leila Brooker) has five Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for her ten-year portrayal of reporter Corky Sherwood on Murphy Brown. More recently she starred for three seasons in the ABC hit comedy series Hope & Faith, with Kelly Ripa, and co-starred opposite Vin Diesel in Touchstone Pictures' The Pacifier. She also starred for two seasons as Shelly Kilmartin, a probation officer who is the object of Norm MacDonald's affection on the ABC series Norm. Between Murphy Brown and Norm, Ford headlined her own series, Maggie Winters. She was a regular on the series Popcorn Kid and a recurring character on thirtysomething, before meeting Murphy Brown executive producer Diane English.

Jerry O'Connell (Laird) starred as Detective Woody Hoyt on Crossing Jordan. Other television credits include starring in Sliders, the movie What the Deaf Man Heard and the miniseries The '60s. Jerry O'Connell is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood's most versatile and sought after talents, especially in the movies.

Jerry Minor (Aubrey) is a former cast member of Saturday Night Live and HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David, Minor was also in the cast of the groundbreaking but short-lived 4-camera sitcom for HBO, Lucky Louie, as Louis CK's African-American neighbor who suffered Louie's clumsy attempts at friendship. Minor has appeared on such television shows as Arrested Development, The Awful Truth with Michael Moore, and on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Trigger Happy TV and Crank Yankers. He also makes regular guest appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Tim Pepper's (Dougie) television credits include a recurring role on Conviction, plus guest starring on Law & Order, Guiding Light and As the World Turns.

Alison Munn (Cindy) was most recently a series regular on What I Like About You, and is also known for her recurring role as Crazy Caroline on That '70s Show. She had recurring roles on St. Sass and Now and Again, with additional TV credits in Charmed, JAG, Boston Public, Inside Schwartz and Law & Order: SVU.

T.J. Miller (Marmaduke Brooker) performs improvisation, sketch and stand-up comedy and is currently a member of Green Company of the Second City National Touring Companies. He performs improvisation with the house team Bullet Lounge at IO, stand-up at numerous comedy venues in Chicago, as well as sketch comedy with the group Heavy Weight. He even eats most of meals standing up.


Pilot Plot:

I have received the first two episodes of the series. The first episode, "Pilot," airing Oct. 2, Gracen wonders aloud how his lovely "house flipper" wife, Leila, can afford to buy a $200 designer toaster and how his deadbeat son, Marmaduke, who struts around the house in nothing but his jockeys and a smile, suddenly lands an internet job making more than his dad. By the end of the day, the guys have their mission: to steal back the respect Gracen deserves by any means necessary.
"Pilot" was written by Bruce McCulloch and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
Guest starring are Troy Evans as Mr. Heggie, Taylor Parks as Aubrey's daughter, Drew Matthews as Aubrey's son, Stephanie Reibel as woman, Scott Thompson as rich carpooler #1, Eddie Goins as rich carpooler #2, Irene White as Sue, Stephen T. Brophy as Ted and Andrew Cherry as Rikki.

The second episode I received is airing October 9 and is titled "Laird of the Ring." Laird pretends to be married to impress a girl who's into married men, Dougie believes Aubrey is having an affair when he sees him sneaking into a motel, and Marmaduke suspects that Laird is his father.
"Laird of the Ring" is written by Bruce McCulloch and directed by Joe Russo.
Guest starring are Sasha Barrese as Holly, Irene White as Sue Henzel, Stephen T. Brophy as Ted Henzel, Byron Field as brokeback guy, Vince Pavia as delivery guy, Jordan Robinson as Aubrey's kid #1, Khamani Griffin as Aubrey's kid #2 and Jay Jay Ellis as Aubrey's kid #3.


Analysis:

This show is surprisingly funny. I was shocked when ABC had picked-up this show, but after seeing the pilot, I am not surprised. It is a hoot and the cast is great. The pilot has a lot of laughs. The singing in the car while going to work is hilarious. Aubrey especially. Both episodes I have seen, start off with singing in the car. It might sound corny, but it is a riot. Another ongoing joke is, while driving, they are on a highway for "Carpoolers Only," and we see they are the only ones in that lane. While that is unrealistic, but it is supposed to be funny, as it is a joke. The plot of the pilot basically is to introduce us to the characters. Gracen, Laird, and Aubrey are about to get a new member of the Carpooler team in Dougie. He is their new guy and he has to sacrifice for the team in finding parking spots. He gets hit by cars so much. Even in episode two, he gets hit by cars, but in that episode he wasn't saving a parking spot. The other plots of the first episode is Gracen thinking his wife makes more money than him, and his son getting a new job. His son is a very oddball character. He is always in his underwear...even for an online job interview. I love the Aubrey character. He is hilarious. He sounds girly. He has like a 1,000 kids and his wife is now a fat couch potato who doesn't do anything but sit in front of the TV. We never see her face. She is like the new Nanny from the Muppet Babies! Except on this show, instead of seeing the Nanny's legs, we just see her stomach side. Aubrey does all the housework from doing the laundry to making cookies, while his wife watches her favorite TV shows.

I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who carpool to go to work. So they could probably understand what these characters go through. The second episode is not as funny to me as the pilot. While it is interesting, it doesn't have as many laughs. Basically Laird borrows Gracen's wedding ring for a girl who is into only married men. Gracen's wife of course finds out right away that Gracen's wedding ring is missing. There are two sub-plots a well. Dougie sees Aubrey going into a motel for two days in a row right after coming to work. He thinks he is cheating on his overweight lazy wife. Is he? And Gracen's son Marmaduke, the dummy he is, thinks Laird is actually his father.


Conclusion:

As I said, this is surprisingly funny. The show will be following Cavemen on Tuesday nights on ABC. Cavemen has a lot of buzz and the premiere will certainly be sampled. So, let's hope they stick around for this show's premiere, too.

All the characters are developed by the first two episodes. We know nearly all of them by the end of the pilot. Cindy, Dougie's wife, is the only character that is not really needed yet. Everyone has a big role for the show. Both men and women will like this show, especially the men who carpool to work. Fred Goss was so great on the single camera comedy Sons & Daughters. He is great in this single camera comedy, too. The difference is, this sitcom would appeal to everyone, as Sons & Daughters was way too smart for some people. Faith Ford is always good in a sitcom, Jerry O'Connell is pretty funny as the sex-craved Laird and I just love Aubrey as the girly heterosexual man with millions of kids and the fat lazy wife. The funny thing is, Aubrey's kids are all different on each episode so far. As for improving the show, they should continue to make it silly and funny. I know it might be hard to top the pilot, but with this cast, it can be done. Episode 2 was not as good as the pilot. Future episodes better be good, as the show is an underdog to succeed in the ratings. Rebecca Romijn will guest star as Laird's wildly sexy and free-spirited ex-wife, "Joannifer," who returns to his life determined to get him back in upcoming episodes. I can't wait to see that! But before that, watch the pilot...and you'll be surprised how funny it really is!


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 09/29/07

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Carpoolers Photo Gallery


No publication or website will be reviewing the new and updated pilot of Cavemen. ABC has not and will not send the pilot out before it premieres. So we will all have to watch on Tuesday and find out how it is.
I saw the unaired pilot this summer, but they completely redid it and changed some characters even. So reviewing that would be pointless. That pilot was not that good, just average. Here's hoping the new pilot is much much better.


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, September 29, 2007
"The Premiere Delay of New Fall Shows"
By Solomon Davis

I will never understand why certain networks choose to air the series premiere of their new shows close to or in the month October.. There shouldn't even be a delay if the new show was already summarized in the Fall Preview edition of TV Guide in early September. The Big Bang Theory just premiered on this past Monday (Sept. 24) on CBS after the show was previewed in TV Guide in early September. So why does there need to be a gap in between the summary of the new show in TV Guide and the premiere date of the show? If the show was previewed in TV Guide it should be premiering the following week. The new show called, Samantha Who? won't air on ABC until October 15 which is actually two weeks before November. So that's almost 8 weeks of waiting after reading about the show in TV Guide during early September. So should we be more annoyed with TV Guide for its early reviews of new shows or the networks for their future fall premiere dates?

The Fall Preview edition of TV Guide always comes out the week after Labor Day which previews the news shows are on the network schedule for the new TV season. So if the TV Guide fall preview comes out in the 2nd week of September, why are they including the preview for new shows that premiere in October? I mean couldn't they just wait until the last week of September to preview new shows like Carpoolers, Pushing Daises, and Caveman? No they would rather have us enjoy the summary of a new show starting in October and wait days to see whether we will like the show. So TV Guide definitely plays a bigger role in the premiere delay of new shows. Which means it's time for someone at TV Guide to use their brain and come out with a preview for new shows a week before they premiere. It really makes more sense to have a TV Guide edition with previews of certain new shows closer to the premiere date instead of summarizing all the shows in one issue. The way TV Guide introduces these new TV shows is like a newspaper in the month of July including back to school clothes advertisements with school starting 7 weeks after the date of the paper.

My TV Highlight of the Week: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - Joy Behar asking Barbara Walters on The View, "did you sleep with Fidel Castro?" Walters replied, "are you nuts? I wonder if she asked Joy was she nuts because she asked her about Castro or because she asked her on the air?
My TV Lowlight of the Week: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - Tiki Barber almost dropping a salsa dancer on the boring fourth hour of the Today Show.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: The Bronx is Burning (Sept. 25); Solomon's Weekly Rant: Surprise Ending to Back to You Pilot; Emmitt Smith on ESPN

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at ESPN Home Entertainment's The Bronx is Burning. The Bronx is Burning is the eight episode mini-series that aired on ESPN this summer focusing on the 1977 season of the Yankees and what was going on at that time that summer. This show is well acted and got better with each episode. See my mini-DVD review of The Bronx is Burning:

The Bronx is Burning (ESPN, $39.92) brings the events of summer 1977 to DVD, in the form of The Bronx is Burning! New York City was in a crisis that summer of '77, they were paralyzed by a blackout, political strife, and the Son of Sam killing spree, so the Big Apple was burning. Rising out of this, came the New York Yankees...they signed Reggie Jackson and the trouble and turmoil started, but in the end they won a world championship. This is a true story of how the New York Yankees single-handedly helped to raise the spirits of a city in a time of darkness and uncertainty. Based on the best-selling novel by Jonathan Mahler, this historic 8-part dramatic mini-series captures the summer of 1977 like never before. John Turturro stars as Yankees Manager Billy Martin, Oliver Platt as demanding owner of the Yankees George Steinbrenner, and Daniel Sanjata plays the slugger Reggie Jackson.
Packaging on this DVD is decent. We have an outer box that we slide out to get to the case. I really think we don't need that outer box, because the case is good enough. Plus the outer box has the same exact cover art and back art as the case. Anyway, the cover has the three main stars of this mini-series (Reggie, Martin, and The Boss). It is a great looking cover art. The back of each has synopsis of the series and set, along with a list of bonus features and some nice photos from the mini-series. When we open the case, we see an insert for other ESPN products on the left, on the right we see a holder for disc one. Then like a book, we can turn it and on the back of that holder is disc two. Disc three is on the right side. Each disc has a nice blue background with a different exterior shot of New York City. Disc one also has a photo of The Boss (same as the cover art), disc two has Billy Martin (same as the cover art), and disc three has Reggie (same as the cover art). First half of the mini-series is on disc one and the second half is on disc two, while disc three has bonus features.
This mini-series is excellent. You will have to watch all eight to understand it. The episode run-time is all over the place, but I assure it is unedited. I'll list all the run-times in order: 42:04, 44;22, 41:55, 43:10, 39:57, 44:18, 36:34, 39:02. There are about 6 chapter stops for each episode. The video is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from this past summer, so it has to be good.
The menu screen starts by showing us nice clips with the theme in the background. It is really neat. The Episodes are listed right on the main menu for discs one and two. There are some Bonus Features on disc one, they are also listed right on the main menu. Disc three has all bonus features, and again, they are listed right on the main menu screen.
Moving on to those bonus features. Disc one has Player Bios and '77 Yankee Statistics. The Player Bios are of George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson. They all run two minute each or so, and the text is in a scrolling video. The stats are divided into different categories: Batting Stats, Pitching stats, ALCS Box Scores, World Series Box Scores, Schedule & Results. The Box Scores are like the bios, a scrolling video text that run a but over a minute each. The Schedule & Results is the games for the entire 1977 season, find out who the Yankees beat and loss to. That also is in a scrolling video that runs under 3 minutes.
We have all the rest on disc three. First up is Deleted & Extended Scenes. Approx. 10 1/2 minutes of these. We have 5 scenes and we can also have option commentary on them by executive producer Gordon Greismer. Then we have some Webisodes of The Bronx is Burning. We have 7 of them and they run about 1 1/2 minutes each. Cool stuff. Then we have some Interviews. We have an interview with George Steinbrenner that runs 10:03, an interview with Reggie Jackson that runs 8:36, an interview with Billy Martin's son Billy Martin Jr. that runs 10:32, and John Turturro the actor who played Martin in the movie, running 6:47. Then we have a nice On the Set Featurette that is very detailed and runs 22:26. Finally, we have Stories of '77...Fenway Dugout Brawl that runs 6:30 and Sport Magazine Article that runs 6:20. Find out the scoop from these two huge stories.
I highly recommend this mini-series and DVD. The Yankees overcame a lot in '77 and so did the city of New York. While this is entertaining, it was also a true story. I urge you all to watch this, especially if you are a fan of sports. And if you've watched it on ESPN, you should get the DVD, because you learn more facts and insight from the great bonus features. Like the classic Roots mini-series of that time, this is also eight episodes. This could be our Roots for this generation! Let's hope the Yankees of 2007 can repeat what the Yankees of '77 did...win a championship.
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Official Website
The Bronx is Burning TV.com Page


In addition to our sitcom ratings of the week tomorrow on the blog, we will have a special Sunday edition of Mini-DVD Reviews, we will take a look at the What About Brian DVD!


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, September 22, 2007
"Surprise Ending to Back To You Pilot; Sports Analyst with a Speech Problem"
By Solomon Davis

The new Fox sitcom, Back To You is expected to be a huge hit this TV season (though it certainly wasn't a blockbuster in the ratings in its first episode) but I didn't really get that feeling from watching the pilot episode. The show featured two major sitcom stars, Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton, who starred on hit comedies in the past and I guess Fox is banking on this happening with Back To You. The show was very watchable with some funny moments but I had no idea there was a surprise waiting for me before the show ended. After seeing so much of the newsroom during the episode, suddenly I saw the characters in a home scene which I think could have waited until episode three or four. The other surprise was seeing the 10 year old daughter appear and there was never any hint from the promos or the TV Guide review that a child would appear in the pilot episode. Not only that, the show became serious toward the end and no one wanted to see that in a pilot episode for a new comedy. Mainly because people were sampling this show to see if it was funny not to see serious scenes so early in the series. Maybe the future episodes will be better since there was so much hype by Fox before the premiere and hopefully I'm not saying, "Back To You Fox for another new sitcom" in mid-October.

So because a guy played professional sports for 12 years and won a Dancing with the Stars trophy, that automatically makes him qualified to be a sports analyst on television? I always thought that in order to be a sports analyst on ESPN, you had to speak very clear and look comfortable on camera. Well that has not been the case with the new guy added to the ESPN set this season by the name of Emmitt Smith. This guy who has shown in just six weeks that he is not qualified to be a sports analyst because of his speech problem. He is always stuttering on camera when trying to make a point and that makes it hard for viewers to take him seriously as a analyst. He also tends to grin from ear to ear whenever he speaks and has no idea how goofy he looks on camera. It's not necessary for him to smile every time he opens his mouth which is something you never see from the analysts on other NFL pre-game shows. If Emmitt can't be articulate and speak without stuttering then why he is taking up space on the ESPN set? I know that by now the ESPN producers has probably learned that just because a person can dance doesn't mean they can speak clearly and make intelligent points on camera. It's only been six weeks for Emmitt Smith on the air and he may already be the worst sports analyst in ESPN History and needs to go now before he embarrasses himself anymore.

My TV Highlight of the Week: Friday, September 21, 2007 - Joy Behar's appeared on Larry King Live and she played the interviewer at times.
My TV Lowlight of the Week: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - The serious ending scene on the Back To You pilot.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Our Emmy Awards Picks; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Nick at Nite's Double Airings of Its New Shows; The Unclassy Addition to The View

Saturday mini-DVD reviews will be pre-empted today so we can bring you our Emmy Awards picks for the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which will air tomorrow (Sun., Sept. 16) on Fox. Solomon's Weekly Rant will still be on today, see below.

Here are our picks:

COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock
Entourage
The Office
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
OUR PICK: Ugly Betty. What a tough category, 30 Rock and The Office can also win, too.

DRAMA SERIES
Boston Legal
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos
OUR PICK: Grey's Anatomy. I think The Sopranos will not win like how Cheers didn't win in its final season.

LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men
OUR PICK: Tony Shalhoub, Monk. Really anyone can win here but Sheen.

LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary Louise Parker, Weeds
OUR PICK: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty. Huffman or Parker can win, but Ferrera is a huge favorite here.

LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
James Spader, Boston Legal
Kiefer Sutherland, 24
OUR PICK: James Gandolfini, The Sopranos.

LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
OUR PICK: Edie Falco, The Sopranos. I'd want Sally Field, but no chance I think. Sedgwick can win, too.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Rainn Wilson, The Office
OUR PICK: Jeremy Piven, Entourage.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Jenna Fischer, The Office
Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Jaime Pressly, My Name is Earl
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty
OUR PICK: Jenna Fischer, The Office.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Michael Emerson, Lost
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
T.R. Knight, Grey's Anatomy
Terry O'Quinn, Lost
Masi Oka, Heroes
William Shatner, Boston Legal
OUR PICK: Terry O'Quinn, Lost. Imperioli can also win, but give it to O'Quinn!

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Lorraine Bracco, The Sopranos
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers and Sisters
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Aida Turturro, The Sopranos
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
OUR PICK: Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy. This is Oh's year, unless the Emmy people give Bracco one last hurrah.


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, September 15, 2007
"Nick at Nite's Double Airings of Its New Shows; The Unclassy Addition to The View"
By Solomon Davis

Since the beginning of this month, Nick at Nite wanted viewers to know that they have added two new sitcoms by overloading the programming schedule with back-to-back episodes of Home Improvement and George Lopez everyday of the week. You would think that since these shows are currently in the introduction phase on Nick at Nite's schedule, that one airing a night would be the proper way to present the shows to new viewers. But the word "balanced" has never been a part of Nick at Nite's programming vocabulary just "overload." And let's say viewers started liking one of the new shows on the schedule, I'm sure they don't want to keep watching them over and over and lose the opportunity to see the shows they were already watching on Nick at Nite before September. That's why there should be a balance between the new shows and older shows on Nick at Nite's schedule so that a new viewer of the new additions can gradually get into the show. Seven airings a week is a nice way for someone to get into a new show instead of 27 airings which quickly leads to "STALE CITY." Nick at Nite's primetime schedule actually has the look of a closet filled with clothes with the two newest outfits in the front and the older outfits pushed to the back so that the newer outfits can be worn on more frequently during the week.

The View, which airs on ABC's daytime schedule every Monday to Friday at 11am, has added a new person to the show which appears to be the biggest mistake of this television season. The unclassy addition to the show is Sherri Shepherd, a comic who loves to tell inappropriate jokes and has yet to show any kind of intelligence. I thought the purpose of her addition was so she could blend in with the other ladies during discussions not try and make everyone laugh every time she opens her mouth. Her most unlcassy moment was on Monday when she said that she took pole dancing lessons in the past because she had a dream of being a stripper. Now would an intelligent comic want to generate laughs from that kind of humor? Only a comic who is comfortable with looking like a fool would tell inappropriate jokes like that to hear laughs from the crowd. And what makes it so sad is that no one laughed at that ridiculous joke which made her look very stupid. Also it's obvious that Sherri is bored when the discussion is serious because she can't tell jokes and never adds anything to the conversation. Sherri should learn from Whoopi and Joy because she has yet to show the ability to be intelligent and funny in the same hour. Just because you are a comic doesn't mean you have to be silly all the time and not show your intelligent side. Which is why I feel The View should have added a woman who could contribute to intelligent conversation instead of adding a woman who is nothing but an unfunny clown who lacks class and intelligence.

My TV Highlight of the Week: Monday, September 10, 2007 - Patricia Heaton saying to Kelly Ripa on Regis and Kelly, "I wonder what you did to get this job?"
My TV Lowlight of the Week: Thursday, September 13, 2007 - As I mentioned, Sherri Shepherd's statement about taking pole dancing lessons because she had dreams of being a stripper when she was younger.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Brothers and Sisters - Season 1 (Sept. 18); Solomon's Weekly Rant: ION's Awful Weekends, NFL Network Glitch

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at Buena Vista Home Entertainment's Brothers and Sisters: The Complete 1st Season. Brothers and Sisters is of course the current ABC Sunday family drama starring Calista Flockhart and Sally Field. The show follows the Walker family, with the ups and downs of running a family business. This show is so great and even funny. See my mini-DVD review of Brothers and Sisters: The Complete 1st Season:

Brothers and Sisters: The Complete 1st Season (Buena Vista, $59.99) brings the first season of the hit new family drama on DVD for the first time! We enter the complex world of the Walker family...who are of Irish-Jewish descent. Though they live very different and conflicting lives, the Walkers find unity under the family roof. Relationships bend but never break as they strive to find their own identities and embrace each other's differences. The series airs Sundays at 10PM on ABC and stars Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker, Sally Field as Nora Walker, Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Walker Whedon, Ron Rifkin as Uncle Saul Holden, Balthazar Getty as Tommy Walker, Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker, Dave Annabale as Justin Walker, John Pyper-Ferguson as Joe Whedon, Sarah Jane Morris as Julia, Kerris Dorsey as Paige Whedon, Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper, with Rob Lowe as Senator Robert McCallister, and Patrica Wettig as Holly Harper. With special guest star Tom Skeritt as William Walker.
This first season is very good. It starts off slow in the first episode or two but it really makes its mark with the episode "Affairs of State." The great Greg Berlanti came in at that time and drastically made this show better. Some classic episodes include "Northern Exposure," "Mistakes Were Made," "The Other Walker," "Game Night," "Grapes of Wrath," and "Matriarchy." Those episodes really stand out, but they are all very good after episode 3. The episodes run usually in the 42-43 minute range...unedited of course. The pilot runs 41:36 as the lowest and the longest is 43:30. There are about 8 chapter stops per episode, though the pilot has 6. The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the 2006-07 season, so it has to be good.
Packaging has a nice white/lime outer box with head shots of the main cast on the front cover...the back cover has information on the set and has some screen shots from episodes and a nice family photo. There is also a section detailing the series and set, a lime-colored special features box with technical specifications also. Inside the box is a digipak case. The front of the digipak is the same as the box cover but the digipak cover has the head shots in a shadowy form...more lime. The back of the digipak has nice promotional photos of Sarah, Kitty and Nora. Opening the case once, we get a booklet holder on the left and three more promotional cast shots on the right (Joe, Kevin, Julia & Tommy). The booklet holder holds the episode guide booklet, with nice synopsis of each episode, along with nice photos on top of each page. We also get two other inserts for BVHE products. Opening the case once more, we get discs one and two in the middle, with three more cast shots of Justin, Holly, and Saul. Opening it one final time, now we see discs three and four, and discs five and six. The discs overlap, like most BV DVDs. Each disc is lime green and has two photos of cast members. Disc one has episods 1-4 with photos of Saul & Nora. Disc two has episodes 5-8 and has photos of Joe and Sarah. Disc three has episodes 9-12 and has photos of the Senator and Kitty. Disc four has episodes 13-16 and has photos of Tommy & Julia. Disc five holds episodes 17-20 and has photos of Kevin & Justin. Finally, disc six has episodes 21-23 and the bonus features with photos of Rebecca and Holly.
The menu screen starts by showing us the stairs then it zooms in on to the wall by the stairs, where we see family portraits. It is really neat. Nice background music from the show is playing in the background. The options are Episodes, Bonus Features, Set Up, Play All. But before the main menu screen comes on discs one and six, we get some auto sneak peeks. Sean Peeks can also be found on disc six on the main menu. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French or Spanish. Bonus Features are on discs 1, 2, 4 and 6. Disc 6 has all the actual extras, while the other discs have audio commentary. The Episodes option gives us the episode number and title to choose.
Moving on the bonus features. Disc one has audio commentary on the episode "Affairs of State" by creator Jon Robin Baitz, executive producer Craig Wright, Patricia Wettig (Holly) and Matthew Rhys (Kevin). Disc two has audio commentary on the episode "Northern Exposure" by creator Jon Robin Baitz, writer David Marshall Grant, and write/producer Molly Newman. What a classic episode! Disc four has audio commentary on the episode "The Other Walker" by writer Alison Schapker, writer Monica Breen, producer Marc Guggenheim, Dave Annable (Justin), and Emily VanCamp (Rebecca). Another good episode to comment on. The final audio commentary is on disc six for the season finale "Matriarchy" from executive producer/director Ken Olin, executive producer Sarah Caplan, and Balthazar Getty (Tommy).
That's just the commentaries! There is more on disc six! We have a very interesting and long featurette titled "Creating the Walker Family Tree" that runs 29 minutes. It has interviews with just about everyone involved. Then we have a short 6:13 featurette titled "Behind the Scenes with the Brothers." So catch up with Tommy, Kevin, and Justin here as they give us a tour of the set. Then we have a deleted episode titled "State of the Parties." This was supposed to be the original second episode. There is an introduction by creator Jon Robin Baitz explaining why they didn't use this episode. The episode runs 42:49 with the intro, and 42:03 without. It is interesting how different it is. We have another featurette titled "Family Business," that runs 4:34. Get a low-down on the Olin family, the real family behind the success of the series! We finally have 2:28 worth of Bloopers & Outtakes. Very fun to watch always.
I highly recommend this series and set. It is such a well written and acted show. I look forward to it every Sunday on ABC and can't wait until the second season starts on Sept. 30. But before that buy this set and see what I'm talking about if you have never experienced this great drama. And if you have, you must own this set because it is just about everything you can imagine. So get your family together and watch this together, and the good part about it is that you don't have to have a family business to watch it!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(5/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official Website
Brothers and Sisters TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, September 8, 2007
"ION's Awful Weekend Programming; Programming Glitch on the NFL Network"
By Solomon Davis

I never thought that a TV station would operate like a small coffee shop inside the building I work in during the week...open from Monday to Friday and closed on the weekends with an early departure on Fridays. That's the feeling you get from watching the programming on ION during the weekends. Just a programming schedule filled up with a bunch of paid programming and silly movies which can really be called end of the week "Fillers." There is not one sitcom on the schedule from Friday evening all the way to Monday, which is kind of odd since the sitcoms that air during the week, like Mama's Family and Who's the Boss?, do pretty well in the ratings for the network. The look of the weekend schedule just makes viewers think that if they rode pass the ION TV station in a car they would see a sign on the front door saying "closed until Monday." Maybe the programmers at ION feel 95% of America is outside partying like there is no tomorrow when the weekend arrives and like to save their weakest programs for the weekend. ION has to know that some people actually do like to stay home on the weekend and not paint the town red since it's Friday night. So until ION's weekend schedule changes to my liking, the word CLOSED should be displayed on the screen when viewers turn to the channel since ION programmers are wild party animals. However, just to note, the movies they air that I hate, do well on the network. Go figure.

I spotted a programming glitch on the NFL Network recently and was trying to figure out what caused this sudden error. This had to be a glitch because there was a program on the NFL network called College Football Now and I was sure i had the right channel which really had me confused. Now even though college football is similar to pro football, it still does not belong on a channel called the NFL network because it's NOT the NFL. That's exactly why you would never see a program called College Basketball Now on the NBA TV channel since that channel is devoted to pro basketball...the NBA. I do know that some NFL fans like to watch college football on Saturdays but if they want to stay updated on what's going on in College Football they can tune into ESPN/ABC on Saturday nights when the entire day of college football is discussed in full detail. So it would be nice if the NFL Network can just go back to being a 24 hour NFL channel instead of slipping in college football programs because it would be very easy to just rename the channel "The Football Network." Something tells me that College Football program is a small step in the direction of the NFL network airing something called "High School Football Wrap Up" in the upcoming weeks.

My TV Highlight of the Week: Thursday, September 6, 2007 - The return of the NFL season.
My TV Lowlight of the Week: Wednesday, September 5, 2007 - Barbara Walters thinking Whoopi Goldberg went to a commercial break and asked, "Are we still on camera?" on The View.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

CD Review: The Simpsons Tesitfy; Interview with Composer Alf Clausen; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Bob Newhart 35th Anniversary; Comcast's Tube Time

Welcome to a special Saturday here at Sitcoms Online! Today we we will have a mini-review, but for a CD, instead of a DVD. We will be reviewing the new Simpsons CD from Shout! Factory titled The Simpsons Testify - A Whole Lot More Original Music From the Original Television Series. And that is not all! We have an interview with Alf Clausen, the composer that is behind all of this great music on the CD! See skees53's mini review of The Simpsons Testify - A Whole Lot More Original Music From the Original Television Series and his interview with Mr. Alf Clausen:

The Simpsons Testify - A Whole Lot More Original Music From the Original Television Series (Shout!, $18.98) contains 41 musical tracks from one of the greatest series of all time, as selected by the award-winning music composer of the series, Alf Clausen. The CD contains music from 1999 all the way up through 2007, all tracks coming directly from the episodes (plus there are four tracks that were previously unaired on the series that are thrown in as a nice bonus). Fans of the series are certain to recognize many of the tracks, including "Ode to Branson," "They'll Never Stop the Simpsons," "Baby Stink Breath," "Homer & Marge," "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders," "Who Wants a Haircut?," and more songs and medleys from all of the great episodes from the past few seasons. Some of the songs even have well-known guests performing all or parts of a song, including Shawn Colvin, Los Lobos, Weird Al (performing "Homer & Marge," a great parody of John Cougar's "Jack & Diane"), David Byrne, The B-52's (parodying their own "Love Shack" with "Glove Slap"), Baha Men, and Rick Gervais.
The CD includes a nice booklet (just like the DVDs of the series, you can't do anything for The Simpsons without a nice booklet) that gives listeners all of the information that they need to know about each and every track contained within the CD, including the episode each track was recorded for, the characters that are included in the song, and the artists that performed the song. And even more like the DVDs (with their introduction by Matt Groening), there is even an introduction from Alf Clausen at the beginning of the booklet--very nice!
Honestly, it is hard to imagine what the series would be like without some of these great songs. It is almost bizarre to consider that musical tracks for a TV series could be this good, and in some cases (particularly "Homer & Marge" and "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders") can be addictive songs that you just can't get out of your head. The CD gives listeners an alternative method for listening to all of these great songs without having to watch the episodes on TV or wait for the DVDs to be released. Of course, the songs are nice to see with the original episode as well (the episode kind of helps to serve as a "video" for the music), but these songs are a rare exception in music created for a TV series where the music just by itself is excellent. For those that are interested in even more music from older seasons of the series, there are some other CDs out there that are similar to this, which are worth picking up if you are interested. But I have a feeling this will by no means be the last CD of this type--like they say in "They'll Never Stop The Simpsons," have no fears cause they'll have stories for years!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(5/5 stars)

To purchase this CD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
The Simpsons Official Website
The Simpsons TV.com Page
Official Website for the Legendary Alf Clausen
Alf Clausen's Credits

As part of this release, we were fortunate enough to be able to have Alf Clausen take a few minutes to talk to us, the composer that is behind all of this great music on the CD. The interview, conducted by skees53, is as follows:

Sitcoms Online: I was reading about your education and training on your website and noticed that you had aspirations to become a music instructor. Yet instead, you became a composer for TV shows and movies, for many great series including The Simpsons. Did you ever anticipate going this route, particularly considering how music historically has not been part of TV shows?
Alf Clausen: Well, it was interesting because I grew up in a small town in North Dakota, Jamestown North Dakota, and for the most part, folks in North Dakota don't know much about the music industry. So, when I grew up, I really didn't have any idea that one could make a living as a composer and arranger in television. Little by little, as I completed my education and started getting into the business, I discovered that one really could make a living doing that. From an early age of 17, I was fascinated with the way music was put together from the standpoint of composition and the standpoint of orchestration, and I fell in love with Henry Mancini's music. I was very much influenced by his film music and that is what kind of drew me into this in the first place. And little by little, it just started working and I discovered that I really could make a living doing this.

Sitcoms Online: So pardon us if this sounds like a dumb question, but what exactly does a music composer do, particularly on a series like The Simpsons?
Alf Clausen: Well, my duties are two-fold on The Simpsons. The first part is called the underscore composer, which means that I compose all of the original background music that you hear on the show. So I get together with the executive producer and we look at the episode every week and decide which spots are going to contain music and he gives me his read on the emotional content of every one of the music cues, and from that point on, it is my job to then compose the music according to the guidelines that he has given me, compose it to time so that it actually fits in the scene. It's my responsibility to decide what kind of orchestra I'm going to use (we have a 35 piece orchestra every week), make sure the musicians get called to show up at the right place and right time, make sure the studio is booked, make sure all of the music is composed, arranged, and copied, and that I show up the following Friday and record all of the music. I conduct the orchestra myself. We have a fairly large crew as well. My job is kind of like an executive position, making sure all of those pieces fall into place, and I turn in the music at the end of the recording session and it fits the show in the way they want it. The other part of my job is as the songwriter. I write all of the original songs for the show and the job is pretty much the same except that the timeline is different. I do those about 7-8 months before the show airs, and I write the songs to the lyrics that the writers have crafted, but I produce the demos of the songs, I produce the final tracks of the songs, and make sure they are all the way the producers want them.

Sitcoms Online: I've noticed that you've done a lot of work with a lot of live-action series, yet The Simpsons is an animated series. How similar or different is this?
Alf Clausen: Its really quite similar in scope and in process because my job as an underscore composer is to compose original music that supports the dialog and action on the screen, and that process is the same whether its a sitcom, a drama show like Moonlighting (which I did before I got on The Simpsons), whether its a feature film, etc., the process is basically the same. In television, what I like about it is the instant gratification part where I can look at an episode on Friday and record the music the following Friday, its mixed on Monday and Tuesday, and goes on the air on Sunday. Its a very quick turnaround as opposed to films where it can sometimes take years.

Sitcoms Online: If The Simpsons hadn't come along or if it hadn't become the success that it is today, where do you think you would be in your career today?
Alf Clausen: On the unemployment line. No, only kidding! Well, that is hard to know because I had a certain amount of success before coming to The Simpsons all the way back to being the musical director of The Donny and Marie Show on ABC in the early part of my career, which was a top 10 show on ABC, so I've had a very good career up to the point where I did The Simpsons. I was the composer on the Moonlighting series for four year, on the sitcom ALF (no relation), a lot of movies of the week, some feature film work, and all of the kind of stuff, so I'm sure that my career would have gone on and probably I would have ended up working in feature films more than television.

Sitcoms Online: So basically just in a different direction?
Alf Clausen: Yeah, it was interesting, because I'd never done animation before, and they'd asked me if I'd ever done animation when they interviewed me for this job, and I said no, but that didn't deter them and they liked my credentials and they liked my music and decided to hire me.

Sitcoms Online: You never quite know what is going to come along in the future, so we don't know yet if The Simpsons will be what you are best known for, but if it is, would this be a legacy that you would be proud of?
Alf Clausen: Oh, absolutely... absolutely! I'm VERY proud to tell my friends what I do for a living and for the most part, they say "oh my god, that's wonderful, what's it like not having to work for a living?" They think I have all of this fun on the show all the time. Then I have to very subtly inform them that I work a few more hours than they do every week because I put in 80-90 hours a week sometimes when I'm doing the score for a show.

Sitcoms Online: It seems like it would be a great job, with The Simpsons being such a great show and everything.
Alf Clausen: Oh well it is, and the peripheral part of it is wonderful as well, the chance to release a CD like this of my music, that is a real treat and this is the third one and the reception of the first two has been wonderful, and it looks like it will be for this one as well.

We thank Mr. Alf Clausen for his time and wish him continued success. We are so honored we had a chance to interview him. A living legend indeed.


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, September 1, 2007
"Why is TV Land Celebrating Bob Newhart 35th Anniversary?; Comcast's Tube Time is Behind Time"
By Solomon Davis

For years I thought that a TV show had to currently be on the TV Land's programming schedule to have an anniversary celebration. Especially since in the last 3 years there were no celebrations for shows like Rhoda, Chico and the Man, and The Jeffersons. None of those of shows were on TV Land at the time of their anniversary and received no type of recognition. But in ten days, TV Land is actually going to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of The Bob Newhart Show. And after checking the TV Land schedule, just like I thought The Bob Newhart Show wasn't on listed anywhere in the regular schedule. So why is this anniversary so special to TV Land when all the other great shows from that decade were not recognized at all? It's quite obvious to me that someone in control of TV Land programming is a huge fan of this show because of this special treatment for a show that hasn't been on TV Land's schedule in years. So after contacting TV Land and asking why was The Bob Newhart Show's 35th Anniversary was so special to them, they responded to me and gave me a very unacceptable answer. I was told that the Bob Newhart anniversary is being celebrated because it's one of the premiere sitcoms of all time. So if that's true then why isn't there a marathon scheduled for Maude's 35th Anniversary in the month of September? This is just another one of those TV Land programming curve balls once again thrown to viewers by the people at TVPlanet.

Do the people at Comcast have any idea that there is a DVD release schedule on TVShowsonDVD.com? I don't think they do because if they did, Tube Time (On Demand service for classic TV from Sony) wouldn't need to be updated with the right sitcoms. By having the first seasons of Who's the Boss, Diff'rent Strokes, and The Facts of Life on Tube Time, means that Tube Time is "Behind Time." Why do viewers need to watch shows on Tube Time that they can buy on DVD? And what's even worse is that Tube Time also has What's Happening!! which is already complete on DVD which can also make Tube Time "Confused Time." Why not give us What's Happening Now!! instead? Comcast needs to really build a new department called research so that the right Sony shows can be featured OnDemand. If the people at Comcast had done any research, they would have viewers watching the third season of Diff'rent Strokes, the second season of Who's the Boss, and the fourth season of The Facts of Life. No one wants to watch TV shows that they own or can buy out of the stores because that is called a pointless TV viewing experience. So until Tube Time adds more updated TV shows to watch, they can just retitle Tube Time and have everyone click on "Behind Time" when they are in a TV season already on DVD watching mood.

My TV Highlight of the Week: Monday, August 27, 2007 - Jay Leno returning back from vacation on The Tonight Show.
My TV Lowlight of the Week: Monday, August 27, 2007 - ESPN airing the entire Michael Vick press conference over and over and over. Stop it!

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Man About the House - First Two Series; Solomon's Weekly Rant: ESPN Classic; Weather-Mania on Local News

Welcome to another edition of mini-DVD reviews. This week we take a look at BCI Eclipse's Man About the House: The Complete First and Second Series. Man About the House is the britcom that Three's Company was based on! See the similarities and the differences between the two series when you get this DVD. See my mini-DVD review of Man About the House:

Man About the House: The Complete First and Second Series (BCI, $29.98) brings the first 13 episodes of the Britcom that Three's Company was based on to America on DVD for the first time! In England, the seasons are usually very short. Also they don't call a season a season, they call it a series for some reason. "Series" one had 7 episodes and "series" two had 6 episodes. This britcom lasted for six series from 1973-1976. And like Three's Company here in the U.S., it gave away to two spin-offs...George and Mildred (The Ropers was the spin-off here) and Robin's Nest (Three's a Crowd was the spin-off here). This series starred Richard Sullivan as Robin Tripp (equivalent to Jack Tripper), Paula Wilcox as Chrissy Plummer (equivalent to Janet Wood), Sally Thomsett as Jo (equivalent to Chrissy Snow), Brian Murphy as George Roper (equivalent to Stanley Roper), Yootha Joyce as Mildred Roper (equivalent to Helen Roper), and Doug Fisher as Larry Simmonds (equivalent to Larry Dallas).
Most of the episodes in these first two series are similar to some episodes from Three's Company. Three's Company had based a lot of the episodes early on on Man About the House. Some of those episodes include the pilot called "Three's a Crowd" where Chrissy & Jo find Robin in the tub and he moves in. "And Mother Makes Four" where Chrissy's mother comes to town the day Robin moves in. In the U.S. it was Chrissy Snow's character whose mother came to visit...as Chrissy in this series is really our Janet Wood. "No Children, No Dogs" where Robin is lumbering a puppy, which is not allowed in the building. "It's Only Money" where the trio's rent money has disappeared. "Colour Me Yellow" is similar to the Three's Company episode "Jack the Giant Killer," where Robin battles a big bully at the saloon. So, all of Three's Company's first season episodes except for Roper's Niece were based on Man About the House episodes. Some other episodes that were similar were "In Praise of Older Men," which was similar to the season two episode of Three's Company titled "Chrissy's Date," where Chrissy dates an older man who later turns out to be married. And the episode "Two Foot Two, Eyes of Blue" was similar to the Three's Company episode from season two titled "The Baby Sitters," where Robin and Chrissy babysit.
Each episode has that Thames logo before each episode that runs like 8 seconds or so. The runtimes for each episode vary. The highest is 25:23 and the lowest is 22:20, but I doubt anything is edited. Most of the episodes run in the 23-24 min range. There are two chapter stops per episode. The first chapter is the first part of the episode and the second chapter is part two of the episode. This series had bumpers saying end of part one and start of part two...and they are intact on this DVD. The video looks good, but it isn't perfect! The audio is decent, nothing too bad about it and you can hear everything fine.
Packaging has a slip cover outer box that holds the actual case. I think that is pointless. The cover for the box has the trio with the show logo above them and above that we see Jo's pink panty, Robin's blue boxer, and Chrissy's pink bra. The color scheme is like a lime green. The back of the box has synopsis of the show with four small cool screenshots (two of them are familiar to Three's Company fans, the shaving of the balloon and Robin in that apron that looks like a bra). We also have a shot of the trio near the couch. The case's cover and back is the exact same as the box. What is the point of this slip cover box?? The case only would have been OK. Inside the case we have the two discs in a separate holder. The left side of the case has a episode guide booklet for us so we have the synopsis of the first two series. Disc one's artwork has Robin's blue boxers and disc two has the girls' pink bra and panty. The overall color of the discs is lime green, like the set.
The menu screen has Play all and Episodes. The main menu has the theme playing in the background (and it loops), with a photo of the trio in the middle and moving images above that. Episodes is where we can choose the classic episodes. They are listed in a separate sub-menu and the theme is also playing in the background there.
Unfortunately this set has no special features. Oh well, at least we can finally watch some episodes and compare them to Three's Company.
I highly do recommend any fan of britcoms or Three's Company to pick this set up. It is a fun show and hilarious, though it is not as good I think as Three's Company. It is cool to note the similarities and differences to the American version. Head on over to the Mucky Duck Saloon (their Regal Beagle) and have a blast watching this DVD!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Man About the House TV.com Page
Jack's Bistro: Three's Company Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, August 25, 2007
"ESPN Classic is the Sports Version of TV Land; Weather-Mania on Local News"
By Solomon Davis

ESPN Classic needs to take programming tips from The Golf Channel because that will allow viewers to see what they are supposed to on a sports classic network which is classic sports. I never see The Golf Channel air programming about swimming or horse racing because the programmers at that network know that they are supposed to air everything that has to do with golf. So if ESPN Classic can stop trying to become the sports version of TV Land by airing programs that has nothing to do with classic sports, the channel would actually become more watchable. ESPN Classic wants to air programs like American Gladiators, World Series of Poker, and sports movies instead of classic pro sports. The network has tried to stay somewhat in the neighborhood of classic sports by airing classic bowling but that's not really something most of us want to see when we think of classic sports. So just like TV Land, the network is trying to be too creative in grabbing more viewers that they actually forgot the name of their network. So maybe the actual goal of the network in the next year will be to change the title of the network to TVandSportsLand which would be a better fit for the type of programming they like to present to viewers.

Why does it seem like whenever there is a heatwave during this time of year our local news stations turn into The Weather Channel? The last time I looked at the calender I noticed that this is the month of August so a heatwave can't be that big of a story. I strongly believe that everyone on this site has experienced being outside when the temperature is over 90 degrees so for news like this to be the very top story as soon as the news comes on is very confusing. It's not deadly stuff like 105+. We don't need to see video footage of people walking down the street wiping sweat because that's what they are supposed to do this time of year. It's a shame that these news directors don't understand that a news story about a heatwave is only major news if it's in the month of December not August.

My TV Highlight of the Week: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - Lauren Jones on the premiere of Fox's now canceled Anchorwoman.
My TV Lowlight of the Week: Monday, August 20, 2007 - Emmit Smith fidgeting and studdering on the air on his second show as a ESPN studio analyst.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: South Park Season 10 (Aug. 21); Solomon's Weekly Rant: Anchor Bay Annoys Three's Company Fans By Not Releasing Spin-offs on DVD

Welcome to another edition of mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at Comedy Central/Paramount's South Park: The Complete Tenth Season. South Park of course is the popular cable animated series that is full of laughs for all ages. Join Cartman and the gang for all the fun. Get your hats & coats on! See skees53's mini-DVD review of South Park: The Complete Tenth Season:

South Park: The Complete Tenth Season (Comedy Central DVD, $49.99) presents all 14 episodes from 2006 season of the hit Comedy Central series. Kyle, Stan, Cartman, Kenny (he doesn't even die at all this season), and of course Butters join up for 14 great episodes of what may be the greatest season of the show so far. The season begins with "The Return of Chef," where Chef comes back from joining the Super Adventure Club and realizes that he wants to make love... with the children! The series takes on Family Guy (which the creators seem to hate; why can't they learn to co-exist?) in the two-part episode "Cartoon Wars," where Cartman decides to do whatever he can to get an episode of Family Guy banned. We get to see Cartman's mom trying to find a solution to solve his behavior issues (by using reality shows, including Nanny 911, Supernanny, and even The Dog Whisperer) in "Tsst." Cartman and Butters are decide to reveal who they think was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks in "Mystery of the Urinal Deuce." The kindergarten teacher and one of her students are the main topic of "Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy," which I think the title says exactly what it is about. Cartman wants a Nintendo Wii and Richard Dawkins comes to South Park to explain evolution in the episodes "Go God Go" and "Go God Go XII."
Once again, the special features are the mini-commentaries for every episode. They last less than five minutes each, and honestly, it is frustrating that they can't do full commentaries. But there really aren't any other special features aside from the Comedy Central Quickies (essentially just really good clips from current Comedy Central programs) and that is a little disappointing (but what we have come to expect from these South Park DVDs). The video and audio on the set is as good as we would expect, but there was one very unusual thing about the closing credits on the episodes... they used the Comedy Central version of the closing credits! Basically all they did was replaced the part of the screen that would show what is coming up next on Comedy Central with a brief scene from the episode. I guess it is only a minor annoyance (because it isn't like we ever saw original closing credits on Comedy Central in the first place), but it would look nice to have real closing credits presented on the DVD set. Still, there are many great episodes on this DVD set that any fan would want to own!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
South Park TV.com Page

Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, August 18, 2007
"Anchor Bay Annoys Three's Company Fans By Not Releasing the Spin-offs on DVD"
By Solomon Davis

Anchor Bay (or now known as Starz Home Entertainment) has told Three's Company fans that they don't have the rights to release the Three's Company spin-offs (The Ropers, Three's a Crowd)on DVD which is why they are not released on DVD yet. So most fans accepted that explanation but what I won't accept is what I call "Sympathy DVD Releases." Sympathy DVD releases are DVD's that were released to make fans feel better about what they can't get while draining money from us at the same time. And that's exactly what Anchor Bay gave Three's Company fans when they released those un-entertaining Jack and Janet's best-of Favorites DVD's. They are nothing but a best-of Three's Company DVD which says to fans "we are sorry that we don't have the rights to the spin-offs, but here are the same Three's Company episodes again." So if Anchor Bay knows they don't have the right to the spin-offs, then why try and release something else connected to the show so that more money can be made? There is not one Three's Company fan who feels better about having a Jack and Janet's Favorites DVD over the spin-offs.
So what will Anchor Bay release Three's Company wise next before 2008 arrives for us to have in our collection? Maybe Mike the Bartender's favorites or Mr. Angelino's favorites?? I wish just Anchor Bay would stop trying to make us forget that we don't have the spin-offs with these so-called replacement DVD releases and give the fans what they really want. Anchor Bay is doing the same thing to Three's Company fans that Comcast did to NFL fans I think. Comcast knew they couldn't acquire the rights to the Sunday NFL Ticket so they offered NFL fans a college football package instead to make us feel a lot better. NFL fans had no interest in that crap and Three's Company fans have no interest in a Best of DVD, especially since all eight seasons are already out on DVD. And this really shows me that Anchor Bay is trying to take advantage of our love for the show and basically don't care about our spin-off DVD dreams. So enough with these sympathy DVD releases Anchor Bay because Three's Company is complete on DVD and I'm sure no fan wants to see Felipe's Favorites in 2008.

My TV Highlight of the Week: Sunday, August 12, 2007 - Flavor Flav being Roasted.
My TV Lowlight of the Week: Monday, August 13, 2007 - Enrique Iglesias wearing a baseball cap while guest hosting with Kelly Ripa on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Popeye The Sailor - 1933-38, Volume 1; Solomon's Weekly Rant: TV Networks Playing Musical Timeslots

Welcome to another edition of mini-DVD reviews. This week we take a look at Warner Home Video's Popeye The Sailor: 1933-38, Volume 1. Popeye is of course the classic TV sailor who eats his spinach and gets energy to save Olive Oyl from Bluto! See my mini-DVD review of Popeye The Sailor: 1933-38, Volume 1:

Popeye The Sailor: 1933-38, Volume 1 (Warner, $64.98) brings 60 classic unedited Popeye cartoons along with over five-hours of bonus features to DVD on a classic 4-disc set for the first time ever! The first 60 theatrical shorts (1933-38) come from the Max Fleischer Cartoon Studio and are remastered and uncut. Here you'll find Popeye with spindly Olive Oyl, burger opportunist Wimpy, lil' See'pea, and the brooding Bluto. Toot-Toot!
Each short is in black & white and runs anywhere between 5-8 minutes. Most are in the 6-7 minute range. However, two episodes are in full color and are much longer...one is on disc three (Popeye Meets Sindbad the Sailor)that runs 16:30 and the other ((Popeye Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves) is on disc four that runs 17:13. These are the Technicolor Two-Reeler episodes. There are no chapter stops, which is acceptable here because the episodes are very short. The video is remastered and it looks great! No editing of the episodes because of ethic reasons either...it is from the original masters. The audio is decent, nothing too bad about it.
Packaging has a nice yellow outer box with Popeye and his big fists on the front cover...the back cover has information on the set and has some screen shots of the shorts along with a big photo of Olive Oyl and Popeye. There is also a section detailing the special features, but it is more detailed inside the case. Inside the box is a digipak case. The front of the digipak has Popeye holding a can of spinach with the spinach about to go in his mouth. The back of the digipak has a photo of Olive Oyl yelling at Bluto. Opening the case once, we get a very nice disc by disc breakdown, which is has lots of screen shots. We get the episode number, title, if it has commentary and by who, and the list of special features per disc. Opening the case one last time, we get to the discs. They are all yellow, matching the color scheme of the set. Disc one's artwork has Popeye carrying Olive Oyl, disc two has Bluto beat-up, disc three has the Burger-meister himself...Wimpy, and disc four has lil' Swee'pea...whose baby is that anyway?? Did Popeye and Olive Oyl have him together? There is a nice special feature that talks about this! Also inside the case we get a little insert that has a coupon for 25 cents off of two cans of Popeye Spinach! Now you have no excuse to get strong. On that insert we also have some Popeye party recipes for Pizza and Dip.
The menu screen has Play, Episodes, Special Features, and Languages. But before the main menu screen comes, we get an ethic message, saying that these shorts were never intended to stereo-type, blah blah. The main menu the theme playing in the background (and it loops), with the same artwork as the box cover. Languages section has us in English only and subtitles can be added for English only. Special Features are on each disc, so they are spread out evenly. Episodes is where we can choose the classic shorts. If it has commentary or a popumentary, we can also select that from here, but we can also do that in the special features section.
Moving on to those special features. As I mentioned, they are evenly placed on each disc. So, here we go, we have a lot: disc one has a retrospective documentary titled, "I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor" that runs 43:23. Then we have 2 Popeye Popumentaries: "Mining the Strip: Elize Segar and Thimble Theatre" (8:39) and "Me Fickle Goyl, Olive Oyl: The World's Least Likely Sex Symbol" (4:20). Finally on this disc we have three items from the vault from Bray Productions/IFC Studio Shorts: "Colonel Heeza Liar at The Bat - 1915" (9:29), "Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing - 1916" (2:43), and "Domestic Difficulties - 1916" (8:17). 8 of the 15 episodes have audio commentaries on this disc, they include commentaries from Historians: Michael Barrier, Jerry Beck, and Glenn Mitchell; Animators: Dave Tendlar, Mark Kausler, Jorge Gutierrez, and Sandra Equihar; Filmmaker: Greg Ford; and Director: Eric Goldberg.
Moving on to disc two, it has a retrospective documentary titled, "Forging the Frame: The roots of Animation 1900-1920" that runs 31:01. Then we have 2 Popeye Popumentaries: "Wimpy the Moocher: Ode to the Burgermeister" (4:30) and "Sailor's Hornpipes: The Voices of Popeye" (9:29). Finally on this disc we have three items from the vault from Bray Productions/Sullivan Studio Shorts: "Bobby Bumps Puts A Beanery on the Bum - 1918" (4:36), "Feline Follies - 1919" (4:13), and "The Tantalizing Fly - 1919" (3:55). 7 of the 15 episodes have audio commentaries on this disc, they include commentaries from Historians: Michael Barrier, Jerry Beck, Daniel Goldmark, and Glenn Mitchell; Filmmaker: Greg Ford; and Actor: Jack Mercer.
Moving on to disc three, it has 2 Popeye Popumentaries: "Blow Me Down! The Music of Popeye" (10:02) and "Popeye in Living Color: A Look at the Color Two-Reelers" (5:46). Finally on this disc we have six items from the vault from Inkwell Shorts: "Modeling - 1921" (7:58), "Invisible Ink - 1921" (7:31), "Bubbles - 1922" (4:48), "Jumping Beans - 1922" (10:51), "Bedtime - 1923" (8:54), and "Trapped - 1923" (10:57). 4 of the 15 episodes have audio commentaries on this disc, they include commentaries from Writer: Paul Dini; Directors: John Kricfalusi and Eddie Fitzgerald; Cartoonist: Kali Fontecchio; and Animator: Mark Kausler.
Finally we move on to disc four, it has 2 Popeye Popumentaries: "Me Lil' Swee'pea: Whose Kid Is He Anyway?" (3:51) and "Et Tu, Bluto? Cartoondom's Heaviest Heavy" (4:40). Finally on this disc we have four items from the vault from Inkwell/Fleischer Studio Shorts: "A Trip to Mars - 1924" (6:46), "Koko Trains 'Em - 1925" (10:06), "Koko Back Tracks - 1927" (9:03), and "Let's Sing with Popeye - 1933" (2:10). 3 of the 15 episodes have audio commentaries on this disc, they include commentaries from Historian: Jerry Beck; Directors: John Kricfalusi and Eddie Fitzgerald; and Cartoonist: Kali Fontecchio.
I highly do recommend any fan of classic cartoons and Popeye to pick-up this set. This is the second set this summer that is amazing for classic cartoon fans...the other being Woody Woodpecker from Universal Home Video. This set is on par with that, but might be even better! Let's hope we get a volume two very soon and it is packed with special features just like this set. Warner did a very nice job indeed! Reward yourself with spinach and buy this set, who cares if you don't like spinach. you will by the time you finish with this set. So, head on to our link below to order this series because I'm Popeye the Sailor Man...Toot-Toot!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(5/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Popeye TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, August 11, 2007
"TV Networks Playing Musical Timeslots"
By Solomon Davis

Has there ever been a time in your life when you attempted to record something while out of the house and then when you return, you then discover you recorded another show because of a new program schedule? When that happens that means the TV Station is playing a game of musical timeslots with the TV shows on their schedule. This is so annoying to us viewers who have it in our mind what we are going to watch once we get home and then find out the show we wanted to see was moved to a new time slot. And when this happens you are stuck with the options of watching that other show you had no idea was in the timeslot or just dealing with the lost opportunity of not seeing your show on that particular day. The Fox Reality Channel is the best when it comes to the game of musical timeslots because they can change the schedule of a show faster that a person going to the refrigerator during a commericial break.
Three weeks ago I programmed my VCR to record the show Manhattan Matchmaker at 10:30am and when I was all set to relax and watch the show after coming home from work, I discovered the show was not only moved but taken off the schedule completely. I guess that was a result of low ratings but shouldn't viewers receive some kind of notice? Maybe Fox Reality Channel can set up something on their website to email viewers when TV shows are replaced for good? The show I recorded that day instead of Manhattan Matchmaker was Blind Date which was not a big deal but it still left me wondering what happened to the show I wanted to record. Then when I tried to record Blind Date three weeks later, Fox Reality Channel moved that show to another timeslot which allowed me to record LAPD instead. And I was so disgusted by this game of musical timeslots that I just actually sat there and watched LAPD since that's what the station wanted me to do anyway. I guess that was Fox Reality's way of trying to get me into other shows on their morning schedule. All Fox channels seem to do this...Fox, Fox News Channel, etc...that Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. should be blamed.
By the way, I still have not found out any news as to why Manhattan Matchmaker was removed so I guess it will always be a Fox Reality Channel mystery.
So if anyone plans on watching this channel try not to get used to watching a show everyday at a certain time because the station will definitely surprise you at least once a month. To be honest this is kind of driving me away from watch the network because I really don't feel like checking their site everyday to see if the schedule is still the same. It would be nice if this network can just stick to one schedule for two months and not make any sudden moves with the schedule. I swear when I watch Fox Reality, it reminds me of going to my local supermarket and discovering that the food aisles were switched around so that certain ones can get more attention when customers walk inside the store. I wonder how the people who run the Fox Reality Channel would feel if cable companies all of a sudden started playing a game called Musical Channel Listings?

My Turn The Channel Moment of the Week: Wednesday, August 8, 2007 on LIVE! With Regis & Kelly - Kelly Ripa's story about the day she didn't wear any underwear. Way too much info, Kelly!

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Mini-DVD Review: Tales from the Crypt - The Complete 6th Season (July 24); Solomon's Weekly Rant: Summer Sucks on TV Land and Nick at Nite

Welcome to another edition of mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at Warner Home Video's Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Sixth Season. Tales From The Crypt of course is the popular '90s HBO series...that was spooky but cool. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Sixth Season:

Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Sixth Season (Warner, $39.98) brings the Cryptkeeper back to tell fifteen more spine-tingling stories that are