bruce.fretts

Cheers & Jeers: Psych Gets Physical

Cheers to Psych for adding slap-shtick to its repertoire.The USA Network hit is known for the witty repartee between fake psychic Shawn (James Roday) and his trusty partner Gus (Dulé Hill). But the comic highlights of the Season 5 premiere, in which the duo got mixed up in a Romeo & Juliet-style dispute between warring Chinese triad gangs, were the fall-down-funny fight scenes. Most of them involved Shawn getting his (wise)-ass kicked, and Roday — no doubt assisted by a stunt double — pulled them off with aplomb...

Thu, Jul 15, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Huey Lewis Gets Hot in Cleveland

Jeers to Hot in Cleveland for proving it's not hip to be square. TV Land's old-school sitcom went back in time to miscast '80s nice-guy pop star Huey Lewis as bad-boy rocker Johnny Revere. (He was almost as convincing as Greg Brady when he posed as rock star Johnny Bravo.) Reuniting with old flame Victoria (Wendie Malick) at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event...

Wed, Jul 14, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Huey Lewis Gets Hot in Cleveland

Cheers & Jeers: Peter Gallagher's One-Two Punch

Cheers to Peter Gallagher for pulling double duty on a pair of basic-cable dramas. The charismatic charmer, who's long seemed like a character actor blessed with a leading man's looks, has been too-seldom-seen on the small screen since the sun set on The O.C.'s Sandy Cohen in 2007...

Wed, Jul 14, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Peter Gallagher's One-Two Punch

Cheers & Jeers: More Good Luck for Bridgit Mendler

Cheers to Disney Channel for wishing upon another teen star: Bridgit Mendler. You may not know her name yet, but your kids do: She stars in Good Luck Charlie, TV's top-rated tween series, which the cable net has just picked up for a second season and an original movie...

Tue, Jul 13, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: More Good Luck for Bridgit Mendler

Cheers & Jeers: Entourage's Great Scott (Caan)

Cheers to Scott Caan for finding a home on the small screen.The swagger-iffic son of James Caan spent the past 15 years trying to follow in his dad's cinematic footsteps and only occasionally landing ...

Mon, Jul 12, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Entourage's Great Scott (Caan)

Cheers & Jeers: LeBron Shoots an Airball on ESPN

Jeers to ESPN for turning LeBron James' The Decision into a sideshow. The sports network basically turned over the keys to the NBA free agent, allowing him to choose who would interview him (the aptly named Jim Gray) and who would sponsor (the University of Phoenix—huh?) his primetime special announcing where he'll play next season. And as much as the anchors...

Fri, Jul 9, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: LeBron Shoots an Airball on ESPN

Cheers & Jeers: Louie Visits Ricky Gervais' Office

Jeers to Ricky Gervais for committing comedic malpractice on Louie. The increasingly lazy British cutup—witness the low-effort, low-impact HBO cartoon of his podcasts, The Ricky Gervais Show—treated his guest role as Louis C.K.'s doctor...

Wed, Jul 7, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Louie Visits Ricky Gervais' Office

Cheers & Jeers: Everything's Not Jake on The Bachelorette

Jeers to Jake Pavelka for flying off the handle on The Bachelorette. ABC cut its snooze-worthy footage of Ali Fedotowsky giggling her way through Portugal 40 minutes short to get to the good stuff: the first sit-down between...

Wed, Jul 7, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Everything's Not Jake on The Bachelorette

Cheers & Jeers: Navi Rawat Fizzles on Burn Notice

Jeers to Navi Rawat for throwing a wet blanket on Burn Notice. USA's summer spy caper has been firing on all cylinders in Season 4, charged up by the addition of Coby Bell as charming comrade-in-arms Jesse Porter. But the action comes to a screeching halt every time the Numb3rs alum shows up...

Fri, Jul 2, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Navi Rawat Fizzles on Burn Notice

Cheers & Jeers: The (James) Franco Regime Rules!

Cheers to James Franco for achieving the impossible: getting me to watch a soap opera. I hadn't dialed up a daytime drama since my brief, inexplicable high-school addiction to the recently snuffed-out Guiding Light, but I caught a bit of James Franco's bizarre turn as nutso performance artist Franco on General Hospital last fall, and I tuned back in to see his return.  He didn't disappoint: Resurfacing in Port Charles as a...

Wed, Jun 30, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: The (James) Franco Regime Rules!

Cheers & Jeers: Reggie Watts Up!

Cheers to Reggie Watts for lighting up the small screen.The incandescent comic/musician — who's like the love child of Zach Galifianakis and Jack Black, plus a giant Afro — tore down houses as the opening act for Conan O'Brien's just-concluded "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour." He made his network debut on O'Brien successor Jimmy Fallon's Late Night and performed one of his breakout tunes, "Big-Ass Purse," in TBS' recent special Team Coco Presents: Conan's Writers. Too bad ...

Wed, Jun 30, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: A Less-Than-Fox-Worthy Opener

Jeers to The Kilborn File for an underwhelming first guest. We know Craig Kilborn's return to TV after a six-year absence is only a six-week run on six Fox affiliates, but couldn't he do better than...

Tue, Jun 29, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: A Less-Than-Fox-Worthy Opener

Cheers & Jeers: Entourage's Nick Off the Old Block

Cheers to Entourage for getting Nick Cassavetes back in front of the camera.In the HBO comedy's otherwise-lackluster season opener, the big surprise was the actor-turned-director's formidable ...

Mon, Jun 28, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Entourage's Nick Off the Old Block

Cheers & Jeers: Third Watch What Happens

Cheers to the cast of Third Watch for finding a second career wind. NBC's 1999-2005 cops-and-rescue-workers drama never got the respect it deserved...

Fri, Jun 25, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Third Watch What Happens

Cheers & Jeers: Not-So-Hot in Cleveland

Jeers to Hot in Cleveland for stranding a quartet of Golden Girls with tin-plate material. TV Land's new sitcom stars four actresses with more than a century of small-screen experience combined: Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. Too bad the show's jokes...

Thu, Jun 24, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: What's It All About, Alfre?

Jeers to Memphis Beat for saddling Alfre Woodard with another one-note role.The 14-time Emmy nominee (she's won four — for Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, The Practice and the HBO film Miss Evers' Boys) has lately been wasted in throwaway authority-figure parts on subpar shows like Three Rivers and My Own Worst Enemy. TNT's new cop dramedy is no exception, as Woodard's by-the-book boss mostly stands around scowling at Jason Lee's maverick Tennessee detective...

Wed, Jun 23, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: What's It All About, Alfre?

Cheers & Jeers: The Bachelorette --- Kasey Strikes Out!

Cheers to The Bachelorette's Ali Fedotowsky for cutting screwy Kasey loose.It may have been hard to tell what the mush-mouthed ad exec was saying — even with the subtitles during his love poem! — but there was no mistaking the fact that he's bughouse loony. In a frightening attempt to prove he was there to "guard and protect her heart" (an oft-repeated phrase that no doubt launched a thousand drinking games), Kasey got a tattoo of a heart with a shield and 11 studs, representing the 11 studs who were chasing after her. (Ew.)...

Tue, Jun 22, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: The Bachelorette --- Kasey Strikes Out!

Cheers & Jeers: Scoundrels' Sweet David James

Jeers to Scoundrels for not living up to its title.ABC's summer crime dramedy (at least I think it's trying to be funny) suffered a huge loss when Neal McDonough was reportedly sacked after three days of production because the devout Catholic refused to shoot sex scenes with costar Virginia Madsen. McDonough brings a riveting malevolence to every role he plays, from sleazy DA David McNorris on Boomtown to psycho killer Dave Williams on Desperate Housewives. He surely would've lived up to the name of Palm Springs crime family patriarch Wolfgang "Wolf" West.Here's the real crime: McDonough was replaced by David James Elliott, a likably generic TV hunk best known for his role as straight-arrow military man Harmon "Harm" Rabb on JAG. But on Scoundrels, Elliott seems...

Mon, Jun 21, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Scoundrels' Sweet David James

Cheers & Jeers: Treme-zing Grace

Cheers to Treme for marching to its own beat.As HBO's post-Katrina New Orleans drama has weaved its way towards Sunday's Season 1 finale, even die-hard fans of The Wire creator David Simon have found their patience tested by his new show's pokey pace and frequent breaks for (admittedly fabulous) tunes. Simon seemed to respond to the criticism when he had John Goodman's Tulane professor Creighton Bernette tell his students of Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening: "Don't think in terms of a beginning and an end, because unlike some plot-driven entertainments, there is no closure in real life...

Thu, Jun 17, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Jimmy Kimmel Shoots --- and Scores!

Cheers to Jimmy Kimmel for a comedic slam dunk. ABC's late night funnyman has used his prime time Game Night specials to introduce an unlikely (but hugely likable) new sports superstar: Ricardo Reyes. The 5'7", 41-year-old busboy at Barney's Beanery in Hollywood is a master of the Pop-a-Shot mini-basketball game. So far he has defeated LeBron James, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Carmelo Anthony. And no one's even come close to Ricardo, who often doubles the NBA All-Stars' scores. For his latest triumph, Kimmel rewarded Reyes with a 2011 Ford Mustang. With that kind of a suave ride, Rico could fit right in with the New Jersey Nets.

Wed, Jun 16, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Jimmy Kimmel Shoots --- and Scores!

Cheers & Jeers: Andy Kindler Controls the Universe!

Cheers to Andy Kindler for spreading the funny. The witheringly witty comic, best known for his recurring gigs as a roving correspondent for Late Show with David Letterman and as one of Ray's sportswriter pals on Everybody Loves Raymond, is branching out beyond CBS. Hot on the heels of his...

Tue, Jun 15, 2010

Cheers & Jeers: Andy Kindler Controls the Universe!

Cheers & Jeers: Games On!

Cheers to sports! That may sound a bit prosaic, but think about it: Can you remember a time when so many different games were generating such deafening buzz? (And no, we're not talking about those annoying vuvuzelas at the World Cup.)  In the last week alone, we've witnessed the highest-rated Stanley Cup finals in decades, a thriller between ...

Mon, Jun 14, 2010