Cheers to the summer's biggest surprise: Wipeout . I didn't think I'd make it through a single episode of ABC's obstacle-course reality show, muchless become one of the sleeper hit's 10 million weekly viewers. It turns out watching people fall on their faces — among other body parts — never gets old. (I guess that's why so many slapstick silent films are still funny.) Hosts John Anderson and John Henson and field reporter Jill Wagner make a winning team, but the real stars are the "Big Balls," enormous red spheres responsible for the show's most spectacular wipeouts. The "big balls" jokes never grow old, either. Good thing, since ABC just picked up the show for a second season.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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First, some good news before the bad: July is less than a week away, and a month that once upon a time signified the absolute doldrums for TV fans now looms like an oasis of bountiful pleasures, with returning shows on the horizon including The Closer, Burn Notice, the Monk-Psych combo, and the piece de resistance of Mad Men's second season. (You’ll also want to add HBO’s gripping Generation Kill docudrama miniseries to your calendar.) Naturally, this is all on cable, but this is still especially good news after the dismal reality circus of June, capped by the current week’s onslaught of ridiculous time-wasters.More than ever, I’ve been feeling trapped in a bizarro world, as if I’d bought a subscription to a season of “To Each Their Own” theater. I know there are people out there who get their jollies at watching elaborate and messy pratfalls accompanied by snarky commentary—the model being Spike’s MXC, which I found mildly amusing until ...
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At least Earl got to experience pure bliss with Billie for a little while he soon awoke to the realization that he had to gasp actually get to know the woman he just married It turns out shes not his 100 percent dream woman after all Her hodgepodge of quirks included ruining Earls chip-to-sandwich eating ratio intruding on Earls bathroom breaks and opining that Sammy Hagar beats David Lee Roth as front man of Van Halen her biggest sin in my book While he took Joys advice to learn to live with little annoyances Earl found it impossible where karma was concerned He was pleased when Billie made a list of her own and decided to cross Joel Maloney Jon Heder off a person Earl Billie and countless others stole from while he was at a competitive grocery bagger tournament However she considered bringing back the stuff she stole enough to undo the damage whereas Earl knew more was necessary Upon seeing the damage done to his house Joel punched a wall and
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Well its been a while but now that all the poster boards have long been collecting dust a new episode of Earl has finally been unleashed and it did not disappoint After NBC President and CEO Jeff Zucker got the ball rolling with a quick recap and a good-natured joke or two about the writers strike we were back in Camden County Earl and Billie were of course right where we left them unconscious in the street As Randy commandeers an ambulance in order to rush him to the hospital Earl dreams of starring in a sitcom since TV has always been a source of solace This was an excellent way to kick off Earls return I think the onscreen dichotomy between the actual episode and a farcical send-up of classic TV really drove the point home that these writers are right on the cutting edge Also it was in this imagined show that the big buzz surrounding tonights installment played out Paris Hilton fresh off of her latest box office flop The Hottie and the Nottie
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