ABC.com has launched "Meet Me on October Road," a microsite where fans can share their own stories of "lost loves and friendships" and wan ratings.... Nicole Kidman: The E! True Hollywood Story premieres Saturday at 6 pm/ET.... The Bronx Is Burning: World-Championship Limited-edition DVD streets Dec. 18. Reggie! bar not included.... Reese, Natalie, Cameron, Beyoncé and many other celebs have created personalized lunchbox art for an online auction benefiting Food Bank for New York City and The Lunchbox Fund of South Africa. Go to CharityFolks.com for details.
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Question: I enjoyed TNT's The Company and am currently catching up on ESPN's The Bronx Is Burning. My question is, why did TNT have to inundate its presentation of this otherwise serious program with crawling advertisements for other shows? I'm aware that I can also catch Saving Grace on TNT — the network takes every opportunity during the commercial breaks to let me know. Why do I need to see a miniature Holly Hunter walking around at the bottom of the screen during The Company? By comparison, ESPN, a network that arguably doesn't need to take itself as seriously, presents The Bronx Is Burning with only a small network logo in the corner of the screen. TNT had every reason to treat The Company with respect — the show was well executed on many levels. But even the failure to let the ending credits play uninterrupted for a few seconds got on my nerves. Decisions like these indicate that TNT was far more interested in using every imaginable opportunity to shove obnoxious ads down ...
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Question: I am so pleased with the programming offered this summer. In fact, I think a lot of this summer's shows are better than the regular fall lineup (with a few exceptions). Wouldn't it be interesting if next year's Emmy nominations were filled with more summer candidates than fall ones? I can't believe the acting from the likes of Damages, The Kill Point, Mad Men, Big Love, Californication, etc would be overlooked. In the past, they've thrown a bone to a few summer favorites, recognizing Monk, The Closer and Weeds. But there are only so many spots available. I think the writers and producers of this fall's programming had better step it up a notch. What do you think the chances are that next year's Emmy nominations will be filled with a lot of these summer hits instead of fall shows?
Answer: It would be gratifying, but don't hold your breath beyond some of the no-brainers (like, say, Glenn Close). I'm thinking newfangled miniseries like Kil
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Question: I've been watching TV for so long, I remember when test patterns were "must-watch TV." Critics fondly reminisce about the golden years, and there were some truly great years. But am I wrong to think that we are now in the platinum age of television? As this past winter season wound down, this DVR viewer was bummed by the thought of a long summer season of reality shows, relieved only by Rescue Me. To my surprise (and here's a plug for TV Guide), I learned about some of the new series that would be flung all over the cable globe: Mad Men, The Bronx Is Burning, Damages, Kill Point (episodes piling up as I try to catch up with other shows) and now I hear buzz about The Company. Add to that So You Think You Can Dance (far superior to American Idol), Top Chef and Hell's Kitchen, and my personal addiction The Daily Show, and I just can't find enough hours to watch. So my question is: Why don't the networks just give up the full season philosophy (usually thrown in with repeats or as ...
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Question: It seems strange to be saying this, but I think I'm actually enjoying summer TV much more than I enjoyed regular-season TV this year. And it's all because of cable. I have a show to watch every night that is really good: Mondays have My Boys (and Greek isn't bad), Tuesdays have Damages, Wednesday has Rescue Me and Thursday has Mad Men. They are all really good, well-acted, well-written shows. During the season I was really having trouble finding shows I enjoyed (Heroes, The Office and Friday Night Lights were about all). I don't remember ever really watching any scripted TV during the summer in the past, besides maybe the occasional show (The O.C. comes to mind). I'd assume it has a lot to do with cable networks putting out really good original TV, since I'm not watching anything on network TV. So, is this really the best summer TV schedule ever?
Answer: It's certainly the busiest TV summer ever. But yes, it's also shaping up to be among the very best. The fall season would be
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