Favorite line on any show I've seen all week: "Peggy, this isn't China. There's no money in virginity." That's Joan talking, the sexiest secretary in all of '60s New York advertising, once again stealing a scene in AMC's dazzling Mad Men with aplomb. Christina Hendricks, I salute you.It was another intensely enjoyable episode this week, which also grew my estimation for the performance of January Jones (what a name) as Don Draper’s quietly simmering, drop-dead-gorgeous Grace Kelly look-alike wife, Betty. How happy was she when, at intermission at Broadway’s Fiorello!, the ad guy wooing Don to jump agencies to the big time offered her a chance to get back into modeling (with the pause that refreshes). How fooled were we that this was just another ploy to lure Don away from “the tiny store” of Sterling Cooper? Not very. And neither was Don fooled. Betty, however? Very fooled. And very crushed when the opportunity vanishes once Don turns them down.Who can blame her ...
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Wednesday, July 25, 10:30 pm/ETBET debuts We Got to Do Better, which was formerly known as Hot Ghetto Mess but retitled "to highlight the show's real intent, which is to offer social commentary in a context that sparks dialogue, debate and, most importantly, change."August 8, 10 pmMTV launches Real World: Sydney: "Jealousy creates intense conflict, tension blossoms into romance, and unresolved issues from a cast member's past explodes, leaving tender relationships in tatters." All that and barbecued shrimp.August 13, 10 pmABC Family introduces Slacker Cats, the cabler's first foray into animation. The "outrageous and decidedly grown-up" half-hour comedy tails two freeloading felines and features such voices as Alex Borstein, Kiersten Warren, Nicole Sullivan and Sinbad.August 15, 10:30 pmMTV premieres Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County, a Laguna Beach successor that promises "a new circle of friends as they discover first loves, face new rivalries and suffer new heartbreaks." But...
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CNBC's Maria Bartiromo has trademarked the name "Money Honey" and will use it as the name of a new show she is producing, she tells Hamptons Magazine.... Laguna Beach alumna Jessica Smith, 19, received three years probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from a March crash, says the AP.... Mark Wahlberg's Shooter topped last week's DVD sales and rental charts, besting Bridge to Terabithia and Black Snake Moan, respectively.... Factory Girl: The Unrated Director's Cut arrives on DVD July 17.
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Question: I finally jumped on the Project Runway train for this current season, and I'm loving it. Great premise, and I hope I can catch up on the first two seasons. My comment is more about Bravo's scheduling. I'm all for cable networks broadcasting episodes several times a week, but do you think they go overboard with Runway? My DVR shows Runway coming on 32 times this week — don't you think that's overkill? Another question: I'm looking forward (of course) to the new season of Battlestar Galactica and even Nip/Tuck, now that enough time has passed since that ludicrous Season 3 finale. Do you think premiering these shows during the start of the broadcast season may hurt them?
Answer: Without a doubt, Bravo goes overboard with the Project Runway replays — but at least you don't have to fret if you miss an episode. (I've become hooked on HGTV's Design Star, and they don't replay that one often enough — its original Sunday time slot is way overcrowded.) I'm not sure it's overkill,
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Question: You recently mentioned that this season is likely The O.C.'s "last hurrah." Why do you think that is? When the show premiered, everyone was comparing it to Beverly Hills, 90210, a comparison I still think is valid. That show ran for 10 years and almost 300 episodes. If The O.C. ends this year it will be after only four years and likely not even 100 episodes. So why did it peter out so quickly? Do you think it was because of bad scheduling, or did poor story-line choices drive viewers away? Even if the show isn't the phenomenon it was when it started (and how could it be, given how overhyped and overexposed that first season was?), I still think it's successful enough that Fox's decision to cast it aside so quickly is surprising.
Answer: I'm struggling with how to answer this one. A cynic would just say, "The show sucks now," and be done with it, but that's neither fair nor relevant; 90210's long run can hardly be attributed to its quality. It may be the fact that Fox and the
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