Martha Stewart, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
Deal or No DealYou know what would be fun? If the contestants had to dress up in silly costumes like they did on Let’s Make a Deal. That might help this show shed its overly dramatic image. Howie almost had that bemused look that Monty Hall used to have when he could just tell that the people were making a crazy gamble. Howie shook his head and seemed totally flabbergasted when Daryl turned down a decent amount of cash for a long-shot chance at half a million dollars. I know I’ve complained about the families, and trust me it annoyed me to no end when they got Amy’s little kids on the phone to find out what they thought... as if they had a clue what the heck was happening. However, I have to say that I liked Daryl’s brother, who in a weird way — perhaps
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Jason Lee, My Name Is Earl
We're 13 weeks into the 2005-06 TV season, so it's report-card time at the Biz. Based on the ratings, here's how each of the broadcast networks is doing so far:
CBS: Not only the most-watched network, but it's also No. 1 in the advertiser-coveted category of viewers 18 to 49 years old. Friday night has been rebuilt with Ghost Whisperer, Close to Home and Numbers. Criminal Minds is a solid hit, despite going up against ABC's Lost on Wednesday. The departure of Everybody Loves Raymond from Monday has hurt a bit, and
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Nip/Tuck
Deal or No DealThings I don’t like about this show? The whole "let’s cut to commercial to build suspense." That really starts to get on my nerves. I don't like it when Ryan Seacrest does it on Idol and I don't dig it here. I just wish it would move along at a bit of a faster clip. I'm suspicious of the shadowy banker — the way he sits up high and watches the proceedings. Is it even the same guy all the time? Is it even a guy? I'm also not fond of the way the families either egg on the contestants or try to dissuade them. It is distracting — I’d like to see the people try to suss out the odds on their own. Probably a little less dramatic, but it would make it more interesting to me and more of a challenge for the participants. But there is a lot that I do like about the show: It's fun to try to cal
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Monday's premiere of Deal or No Deal brought to the negotiating table 11.6 million viewers, enough of them in the 18-to-49 and 25-to-54 demos for the NBC game show to win the night in those categories. Me? I miss Monty Hall.
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OK, when I was watching Two and a Half Men, it was really bothering me that I couldn't figure out who the girl playing Sandy was. I finally remembered, though: It was Josie Davis, the younger, brainy sister from Charles in Charge. Is it sad that I knew that? Probably a little bit. There were some great lines, including one from little Jake, who adjusted to his dad's dating with only one request, "Just remember the walls are thin and I'm impressionable." His adorable little mug and dry delivery made me forgive him for the sappy The Christmas Blessing. Turns out tha
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Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel
Who still wants to be a millionaire? The contestants on NBC's Deal or No Deal, a new game show airing every night this week at 8 pm/ET, apparently do. Why else would they put themselves through the nerve-frazzling agony of deciding whether to keep one unopened case — which could contain anywhere from a penny to a cool mil — or "deal" it to the mysterious Bank for what could be a higher (or, natch, lower) payout. Sound a touch confusing here on "paper"? Let host Howie Mandel try to sum up the series, which is already a massive hit internationally.
Each contestant, confronted with a stage full of fab femmes, each holding a numbered case, "picks a number, and one of 26 different increments of money is in each box," Mandel says. But instead of simply popping open the chosen case to assess your bounty and whether you should walk away with it, "the wa
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