On the first day of my Christmas gift guide, My true love of TV DVDsIs what I want to share with thee.So hark your heralds and deck your halls later, people. We’ve got more box sets than all those maids a’milkling and drummers drummin’ combined to cover this month. And nothing makes the season brighter than a shiny pile of TV shows, no matter who’s on your gift list.For your sci-fi friend…Star Trek: The Next Generation Holy Starship! The complete series in one Borg-tacular cube may be too much for even the most geeeked-out Trekker. 49 discs, 176 episodes, Picard doing all sorts of “Make it so.” It’s stunning. And quite powerful, lemme tell you. Having never watched the show back when it was on because, you know, I was out doing messed up stuff to ruin my life, the phenomenon escaped me. Well, no more! I now get what the big whoo hoo is about with this one and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Not that I’m booking a trip to one of those ...
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Question: I am writing to you, but mostly to the African-American reader who wrote to you about Tyler Perry's House of Payne. I, for one, think it's a funny show. While I will agree that the first few episodes were rough, I find myself looking forward to it, and I TiVo it religiously. That reader kind of ticked me off, because maybe he doesn't personally go through the issues from the show, but they are definitely issues in a lot of families. I give thumbs up to Tyler Perry for doing the show he wanted to do, rather than what the networks wanted. I am proud to see a 90-percent black cast and wish there were more like this for my children to see. I think it's important to remember that this show is a comedy and thus makes light of issues. The episode this week about the son on the Internet and a predator coming to the house opened up a dialogue in my family about the issue. If you don't like the show, don't watch it! But let it be for those of us (and trust me, there are a lot) who do ...
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Here are several updates on stuff I reported in this week's Ask Ausiello as well as some new scoops mixed in. Enjoy! I can now confirm that Marlee Matlin has signed on to appear in 11 episodes of Showtime's The L Word. The deal just closed and, even though this drama is so far off my radar it's virtually undetectable, I wanted to bring you the official word ASAP. The Oscar winner will play a deaf artist who takes a shine to Jennifer Beals' Bette. She'll first show up in the fourth-season premiere in January. Speaking of shows I probably should be watching, Disney's teen phenom Hannah Montana has reeled in a pretty big fish. I'm told Dolly Parton will make a guest appearance this summer. I'm not sure who she's playing, but very reliable sources say her character will have huge knockers. Regarding the fate of The King of Queens, another source told me yesterday that "the show is definitely dead." Still no confirmation from CBS. My Eric Balfour mole (yes, I now have a mole assigned sp...
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Question: Just a couple of quick questions. Why do you think Veronica Mars is struggling? Is it just a flaw with the gathering of statistics? I ask this because most people (of various ages and background) I know love this show and think it's the best one on television right now. Also, I was wondering what you thought of the Huff second-season premiere. I know that you're not very fond of shows that try to squeeze too many tragic/dramatic/shocking moments (Six Feet Under, Queer as Folk) into one series but I thought it was really entertaining. Do you agree?
Answer: I'm just being realistic when referring to Veronica's ratings woes — it's not pretty. I like the show a lot (though I've felt it's lost its focus from time to time this season), and I'm reasonably sure that it will end up on the new CW. But I'm not going to paint a rosier picture than the facts support just because its fan base is so passionate. As for Huff: Read my recent review. If anything, I think the show has gotte ...
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Question: I don't have any wagers, arguments or bets to settle. I just have a question, if that's OK. Was there another actress who played Cagney on Cagney & Lacey before Sharon Gless did, or is my memory failing already? Thank you for your time.
Answer: Actually, there were two, Ruth. Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H) first played Det. Chris Cagney in the CBS TV-movie that aired in 1981. However, after that movie proved successful enough for the network executives, who didn't initially believe the concept was strong enough for a show to order up a series, Swit was unavailable. In stepped actress Meg Foster, and the reason for her abrupt departure, together with the lack of network spin on it, provides an interesting lesson in how different today's political climate is from that of 20 years ago.
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