Monday, October 08, 2012

TV Premieres: What to Watch 10/8

Some returning series arrive this week along with a couple of notable, new series.  Below is a listing by-day of the new series premieres with the time and network.  I’m also throwing in an abbreviated listing of returning series premieres and series finales.

The new shows on the possible favorites include Nashville and Chicago Fire both of which air on Wednesday at 9pm CST.

Note:  All times are U.S. CST

Monday, 10/8

Crash & Bernstein-7:30pm on DisneyXD

To Catch a Smuggler-8pm on National Geographic

Cocaine Wars-9pm on National Geographic

Season Premiere: 90210, Gossip Girl

 

Tuesday, 10/9

Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition-8pm on Lifetime

Prank My Mom-9pm on Lifetime

Keyshia & Daniel: Family First-9pm on BET

Mash Up-11:30pm on Comedy

Season Premiere: Frontline, Ink Master, Independent Lens

 

Wednesday, 10/10

Arrow-7pm on CW

Bid & Destroy-8pm on National Geographic

Coast Guard Florida-8pm on TWC

Nashville-9pm on ABC - Connie Britton stars as aging country star Rayna James as she embarks on a tour with up coming starlet Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere). Things heat up as Juliette tries to take Rayna's place at the top of the country music charts.

Chicago Fire-9pm on NBC - Chicago Fire, produced by Dick Wolf, stars Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund and Charlie Barnett, in an action-driven drama exploring the complex and heroic men and women of the Chicago Fire Department. Derek Haas and Michael Brandt wrote the pilot and also produce, along with Danielle Gelber, Peter Jankowski and Jeffrey Nachmanoff, who directed the pilot.

Season Premiere: Nature, Nova scienceNOW, Duck Dynasty

 

Thursday, 10/11

Beauty and the Beast-8pm on CW

Little Shop of Gypsies-9pm on TLC

Season Premiere: The Vampire Diaries, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, BrandX With Russell Brand, Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell

 

Friday, 10/12

Dog With a Blog-8:40pm on Disney

Season Premiere: Austin City Limits, A Haunting

 

Saturday, 10/13

Season Premiere:  Too Cute!

 

Sunday, 10/14

See Dad Run-7pm on Nick

Season Premiere:  The Walking Dead, Talking Dead, Comic Book Men

 

Monday, 10/15

Plane Xtreme-8pm on TLC

Celebrity Crime Files-9pm on TVOne

My Shopping Addiction-10pm on Oxygen

Season Premiere: Nature, Figure It Out

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

TV Premieres: What to Watch 9/24

We’re back with a bunch of new television this week.  Many of your favorite returning shows are back this week as well.  Below is a listing by-day of the new series premieres with the time and network.  I’m also throwing in an abbreviated listing of returning series premieres and series finales.

Remember, this is on a trial basis.  We’ll see how it goes.

The new show you definitely need to add to your favorite list is "Last Resort” on ABC.

 

Note: All times are U.S. CST

Tuesday, 9/25

Ben and Kate-7:30pm on Fox – This new single-camera sitcom has Ben, an exuberant dreamer, returns to his hometown, he realizes his perennially responsible younger sister, Kate, needs help raising her 5-year-old daughter; Kate prepares for what turns out to be a disastrous first date.  Early reviews say this is pretty average but does have a likeable cast.

The Mindy Project-8:30pm on Fox – Sitcom by executive producerMindy Kaling.  Early reviews say this one is worth checking out – pretty funny.  Synopsis:  After getting drunk and disorderly at her ex-boyfriend's wedding, Dr. Mindy Lahiri realizes she needs to get her personal and professional life back on track.

Vegas-9:10 on CBS – New drama where rancher Ralph Lamb becomes a sheriff, he begins investigating the murder of the governor's niece and instantly clashes with mobster Vincent Savino.  Stars Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis and Carrie-Anne Moss.  Great cast with a promising setting, but early reviews said the pilot was somewhat boring.

Brickleberry-9:30pm on Comedy Central – New animated comedy

Season Premieres:  NCIS, New Girl, NCIS: Los Angeles, Private Practice

 

Wednesday, 9/26

Animal Practice-7pm on NBC – New sitcom where Justin Kirk stars as a vet who loves animals but hates their owners.  This one also stars Tyler Labine.  Early reviews are very mixed – some will like it some will hate it.  It has a monkey in a labcoat is all you need to know.

The Neighbors-8:30pm on ABC – Comedy with this plot:  When Marty Weaver and his wife, Debbie, move to a gated community with their three children, they discover their neighbors are aliens who had not met humans.  I give this one a month to survive.

Season Premieres:  The Middle, Criminal Minds, Modern Family, Law & Order: SVU, CSI

 

Thursday, 9/27

Last Resort-7pm on ABC – This drama was written by Shawn Ryan and is on my must record list.  If you’re not sure, be sure and at least record this pilot episode as it’s a good one.  Plot:  After questioning orders to fire at a foreign country, Capt. Marcus Chaplin and the crew of the world's most powerful nuclear submarine find themselves under attack and declared enemies of the United States.

Elementary-9:01 on CBS – It’s a modern-day Sherlock Holmes with Lucy Liu as Watson.  And it’s set it New York City to really tick of the British.  It’s not great, but looks to be more entertaining than most expected.  I think it’s worth giving a chance if you enjoy the genre.

Capture Cowboys-10:02 on History – new reality series

Season Premieres:  The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Grey’s Anatomy, Person of Interest, Rock Center With Brian Williams, Scandal

 

Friday, 9/28

Paranormal Paparazzi-6pm on Travel – Reality series

Made in Jersey-8pm on CBS – Drama that might appeal to the CBS watching crowd.

Flea Market Flip-8pm on HGTV

Voces on PBS-10pm on PBS – Documentary

Season Premieres:  CSI: NY, Fringe, Blue Bloods, Dateline NBC

 

Saturday, 9/29

Being-5pm on National Geographic – Documentary

Season Premieres:  Star Wars: The Clone Wars, How the States Got Their Shapes, 48 Hours

 

Sunday, 9/30

666 Park Avenue-9:01pm on ABC – A new paranormal drama.  Nice cast, decent plot, but quite slow and shall I say almost boring?  Plot:  Jane and Henry are offered a chance to manage a premier apartment building in New York; while the couple is seduced by the intoxicating lifestyle of the Upper East Side, supernatural forces in the building make Henry and Jane question their decision.

Destination Fear-10pm on Travel – reality/travel

Season Premieres:  60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, Once Upon a Time, The Simpsons, Making Monsters, Bob’s Burgers, The Good Wife, Revenge, Family Guy, American Dad, The Mentalist

Monday, September 17, 2012

TV Premieres: What to Watch 9/17

After receiving a bunch of e-mails telling me how much they wished I had continued my TV listings, I thought I’d do a scaled-down version.  I’m stripping the TV Premiere listings to the bone and only giving you what I think you need.  Below is a listing by-day of the new series premieres with the time and network.  I’m also throwing in an abbreviated listing of returning series premieres and series finales.

Remember, this is on a trial basis.  We’ll see how it goes.

This week the two big premieres are “The Mob Doctor” which is a show I’m hearing is a disappointing mess, Revolution by JJ Abrahms which I highly recommend based on the freely available pilot episode.

NOTE1:  Corrected the time and network for Revolution.

Note2: All times are U.S. CST

Monday, 9/17

Let’s Ask America-6:30pm on NBC

The Mob Doctor-8pm on Fox-The Mob Doctor stars Jordana Spiro as a cardiothoracic surgeon paying off her brother's gambling debt by doing medical work for gangsters. Evanston native Zach Gilford and Jamie Lee Kirchner play her day-job colleagues at a hospital, with William Forsythe as a mob boss.

Revolution-9pm on NBC-Revolution by from J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke.  This one is an adventure thriller where the family attempts to reunite in a post-apocalyptic American landscape. Basically, there was a really serious blackout of tech.  Nothing electronic works – every geek’s worst mightmare!  Don’t miss this one.

Season Premieres:  Wheel of Fortune, Bones

 

Tuesday, 9/18

Iceberg Hunters-8pm on TWC

Hot Set-9pm on SyFy-Watch as two Hollywood production designers and their teams compete in extreme design challenges.  Challenge themes includes science fiction, fantasy and horror genres.

Season Finales:  So You Think You Can Dance

 

Wednesday, 9/19

Season Premiers:  Survivor Philippines, South Beach Tow, The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons,

Season Finales:  Royal Pains, Big Brother

 

Thursday, 9/20

Tamar & Vince-9pm on We

Prom Queens-9:30pm on Lifetime

Season Premiers:  Up All Night, The Office, Parks and Recreation

Season Finales:  Wilfred, Awkward, Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell

 

Friday, 9/21

Access 360-5pm on National Geographic

Secret Princes-9pm on TLC

Season Premiers:  Haven

 

Sunday, 9/23

The First Family-7pm on Centric.  The First Family stars Christopher B. Duncan (from The Jamie Foxx Show) and Kellita Smith (from The Bernie Mac Show) as the president and first lady. Gladys Knight plays the president’s mother, and Jackee Harry and Marla Gibbs are the first lady’s sister and mother. 

Secret Brazil-7pm on National Geographic Wild

Mr. Box Office-8pm on Centric

$24 in 24-9pm on Food

House Hunters Renovation-10pm on HGTV

Season Finale:  Ice Road Truckers, The Real Housewives of New Jersey

 

That’s it for this week.  If I missed anything of note or you have a show you’re looking forward to let us know in the comments.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Interview with first Google Fiber User

Google Fiber has opened up a Google Fiber connection to a couple of small businesses near their “Google Fiber Space” building just to showcase what it can do.  A few days ago Gizmodo interviewed Max Ross, the first official Kansas Citian to own a Google Fiber connection and he seems pretty positive about the new service.

Ross, the co-owner of Fric and Frac, a neighborhood bar and grill in Westport, Mo., answered Internet-users' question about the service through a live Q&A for Gizmodo.

Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn’t have the TV service setup yet.

Check the interview out at Gizmodo

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Google Fiber TV–Is It’s HTPC DNA SageTV?

Google had their official unveiling of Google Fiber last week in Kansas City and I was watching very closely.  I expected this to be an interesting announcement with it’s fiber-to-the-home bringing gigabit internet (up and down) along with a rumored TV service.  I’m thrilled about both of these services, but especially curious about the TV-side of the announcement.  Now that I’ve delved a little more into this I think the Google Fiber TV just might be bigger than some people realize.

Not only am I very interested in a “better” TV/DVR than what you can currently get from the cable companies – I also live in the downtown Kansas City area where I felt my odds were good for getting Google Fiber.  So yes, I’m likely more interested in this than those outside of the Kansas City area.  But I’m even more excited about this because I suspect there is quite a bit of SageTV Home Theater PC inside of Google Fiber TV. SageTV is a Home Theater PC or Home Media company that Google purchased just over a year ago and it seems that this is what the SageTV team has been working on since being acquired.

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I stopped by the Google Fiber Place where they have a large “showroom” to demo some of the ways you can use Google Fiber in the real world.  As you can imagine I spent a lot of time in the Fiber TV section where they had the actual Fiber TV hardware running and where I could see the EPG (TV Guide), menus and settings page.  We switched channels, displayed a guide that looked awfully familiar to this SageTV user and went through some of the menus.  When we were on the settings page I think I caught a glimpse of the words “SageTV” on the page.  The TV show page had similar info and details pages available just like I see on SageTV.  It certainly wasn’t exactly like the last version of SageTV, but it was pretty similar.  Add to this experience you can check this Google + thread where a little confirmation of SageTV involvement was mentioned:

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I had a chance to try out the Fiber TV app on the Nexus 7 tablet and that has similar functionality to the 3rd party SageTV web app I’m used to using but in a much improved UI

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One last thing to note before I close today – Fiber TV is a Media device with a server/client architecture, just like SageTV is.  It includes music and movies and Google is integrating Netflix and their own Google-brand of instant movies.  The ability to stream your movies and music and ge the super-powered DVR with tuners that work on all content (Read: not blocked for certain channels or requiring CableCard setup) makes this HTPC enthusiast very, very happy.  I don’t know how much SageTV is inside Fiber TV, but I’m pretty confident it has quite a bit inside.

Lots of questions from the HTPC crowd to talk about here such as: what about plugins, DRM on movies, commercial skip etc.  I’ll have more to say about Google Fiber TV soon.  Stay tuned.

Monday, July 30, 2012

GeekTonic Rises

GeekTonic Logo

It’s been a nice, long break away from blogging these past many months.  Back in September of last year I mostly gave up writing on GeekTonic except for the weekly TV-centric posts and then in February I even stopped those.  Near the end of last summer I was already burning out but I tried to stay with it – it just wasn’t in me.  I invested a ton of time & energy in this thing because I love technology, especially when it’s mixed with media of all kind.  But the time spent on the day job mixed with preparation for a pretty major move (for me at least) finally pulled me away.  Today I decided to ease back into blogging on a smaller scale.

Articles will be less often and might be a mixture of topics.  I might at times really focus in on things such as Google Fiber, Apple TV, my transition from a suburban home mega-HTPC setup to a smaller, urban loft and who knows what else.  This will be me not following any of the advice I’ve read and learned about blogging, but I hope you’ll still enjoy reading.  I’ve had a lot of people encouraging me to get back into the game including family, friends, subscribers, twitter followers and Google + friends.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Moving Sale–My Gadgets For Cheap

I’ve been gathering the rest of my little-used gadget arsenal for the Memorial Day Weekend Gadget Garage Sale.  Here’s how it works.  If you are interested in any of the below items here’s how to purchase:

Note:  I can only ship to U.S. locations due to shipping costs.  My goal here is to find these gadgets a good home.  All items are used, but in good, working condition.

URC Home Theater Master MX-500 Learning Remote Control - This has been my go-to remote for many years.  I’ve used this older MX-500 and the newer MX-600 for several years with my home theater setup.  I’m selling this one for $29 plus $11.35 shipping.  Included is the remote, four AAA batteries and the original operating manual.

 

Brando USB 2.4Ghz RF Wireless Keyboard with Trackball – I’ve used this one on some of my test-HTPC’s and on a few DIY Digital Photo Frames.  It’s cheaply made, but it worked for my purposes.  I’m selling this one for $5 plus $11.35 Shipping

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Hauppauge Remote Controls – I have a two different versions of these, but no need for them.  I’ll sell one for $7 plus $5.35 shipping or both for $10 plus $5.35 shipping.

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Channel Vision E3200-RF Modulator – This one was an important part of my HTPC setup for a long time.  I used it to “blast” everything displaying on the living room TV to the kitchen TV – so the shows played in exact sync with each other.  I could even play a movie in the living room and turn on either the kitchen TV or upstairs master bedroom TV and the same movie was playing in all three rooms.   As we moved to HD however this didn’t work quite as well since it’s definitely not modulating an HD signal.  This would work great for a SD setup or a security camera setup.

I’m selling this one for $24 plus $11.35 shipping

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Snapstream Firefly RF Remote Control –  UPDATE-SOLD

this is an oldie, but somewhat popular with the HTPC crowd.  I haven’t used this one in years, but I know there are some that like the RF-capability.  It was originally designed by Snapstream who at the time made HTPC software BeyondTV.  This one is going for $5 plus $5.35 shipping.  Also available at Directron.com for $40 – I’ll throw in the Firefly Mini (smaller version in photo below (on right) for free if you want it with the Firefly.

 

MediaMVP with Remote & Power AdapterUPDATE – SOLD

Works as a basic media player, SageTV extender and GBPVR extender.  SD-only.  This guy handled TV in my gadget laboratory… er unfinished basement where I modified & made things.  Still works great – but it’s SD-only and I haven’t used it in the past year.  $9 plus $11.35 shipping

 

 

If you’re interested in more than one item, I can probably work out a deal on the shipping.  Or possibly a discount for taking extra stuff off of my hands all at once.  Thanks!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

TV Networks Sue Dish Over Commercial Skip

Dish Network launched a very limited version of commercial skipping for their satellite TV customers and now most of the big TV networks have sued Dish over it.

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In the meantime, I continue to enjoy REAL commercial skipping with my aging SageTV setup.  I enjoy living in that no commercials world as long as I can.  I’m not surprised at all by the TV Networks lawsuit against Dish.  My bet is that Dish expects to quickly pull the feature after agreement from the networks that they will withdraw the lawsuit and in the end come out the tragic do-gooder brought down by the “big guys.”  All along Dish is getting valuable PR.

via ZatzNotFunny

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Moving Sale–AverMedia USB HD DVR Capture Device

Next on the list of must-sell items is the AverMedia USB HD DVR Video Capture Device (C874).  I’ve tested this (read: plugged it in and tuned with it) for one week.  Still works, but I have no need for it.  It’s selling for over $150 on Amazon new.

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I’m selling this for $50 plus $14.99 shipping.  It does not work with SageTV as a tuner – I believe it does work with Microsoft MediaCenter (check to be sure).  I also know some who use it to offload from their cable box – such as UVerse and to record HD VideoGame playback.

Payment must be Paypal and I ship only to the U.S.

If you’re interested, send me a note here.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Moving Sale–Hauppauge MediaMVP HD 1340

 

Update:  This item is now SOLD.

Next on the list of must-sell items is the Hauppauge MediaMVP-HD 1340.  This puppy has only been plugged in once.  Works fine, but I never used it.  It was intended as a replacement for the really old MediaMVP that was more “hackable” but this new version really never took off for Hauppauge.  It has much more in the way of media playback capabilities compared to the old MediaMVP.  To read more about it, click on this link to see the Amazon listing:

Hauppauge 1340 MediaMVP-HD Digital Media Player

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I’m selling it for $10 plus $8 shipping.  Payment must be Paypal and I ship only to the U.S.If you’re interested, send me a note here.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Moving Sale–GlideTV Navigator Touchpad Remote

UPDATE: THE GLIDETV HAS BEEN SOLD.

 

More HTPC stuff on my must-sell list. 

This is the GlideTV Navigator Touchpad Remote.  It’s intended for HTPC and Online Streaming-type of viewing from a computer-connected TV. 

This product didn’t really take off, but it’s functional and would be a nice addition for the HTPCr or cord cutter.

Here’s my review of the GlideTV last year.

Moving Sale– Wireless Keyboard for HTPC or Gaming

Update:  The keyboard has been sold.  More to come soon

 

It’s been a while…  I’ve stepped away from the blogging world almost entirely this past year and while I hope to get back to hit eventually, I’ve never been busier.  One of the things keeping me busy is a move from a larger, suburban home to a smaller, loft space.  This means many things to a HTPC hobbyist like myself including a need to downsize my gadget arsenal.  So I’m going to begin listing some of the HTPC and gadget-related stuff I’ll be selling here.  If someone is interested, send me a note here.

First up is my HTPC keyboard. 

It’s the BTC 9019 URF and has been a great companion to my HTPC computers over the years.  It is RF wireless and still works just fine.  I’m selling it for $10 plus 6.95 shipping.  I only accept Paypal.   Here’s my review of this very keyboard a few years back.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

TV This Week-Premieres & Finales 2/12/2012

February is here and the list slowly moves from premieres to finales.  But there are a few notable premieres in the list for this week including Smash and The River.  Check out the complete list below.

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                  Cougar Town Returns to ABC Tuesday

 

NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST – TV schedules subject to change

Sunday, February 12

The 54th Grammy Awards (8pm on CBS) If you’re into awards shows and music, this is always a good option.  This year Adel performs for the first time since vocal-chord surgery (ouch!) and I expect at least some mentions of Whitney Houston after her death yesterday.

Wild Mississippi (8pm on National Geographic Wild) New nature/documentary series

Worst Cooks in America (9pm on Food) Season 3 premiere

American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior (9pm on Discovery) Season 4 premiere

Undercover Boss: Abroad (9pm on TLC) New reality spinoff series

Full Metal Jousting (10pm on History) New reality series

Comic Book Men (10pm on AMC) New reality series with Kevin Smith

My Strange Addiction (10pm on TLC) Season 3 premiere

 

Monday, February 13

BET Honors 2012 (9pm on BET) BET’s music awards show with Stevie Wonder, Spike Lee, Mariah Carey and more.

World’s Toughest Trucker (10pm on Discovery) New reality series

 

Tuesday, February 14

Cougar Town (8:30pm on ABC) Season 3 premiere

Teen Mom 2 (10pm on MTV) Season 2 finale

Top Shot (10pm on History) Season 4 premiere

 

Wednesday, February 15

Survivor: One World (8pm on CBS) Season 24 premiere

Top Guns (10pm on History) New military/tech series about…. guns.

 

Friday, February 17

Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook (9pm on PBS) Season finale

The Life & Times of Tim (9pm on HBO) Season 3 finale

 

Saturday, February 18

Ultraviolet: Code 044 (Midnight on G4) New series

 

Sunday, February 19

The Amazing Race (8pm on CBS) Season 20 premiere

Jerseylicious (8pm on Style) Season 4 premiere

The Celebrity Apprentice (9pm on NBC) Season 12 premiere

Big Rich Texas (9pm on Style) Season 2 premiere

Eastbound & Down (10pm on HBO) Season 3 premiere

Khloe and Lamar (10pm on E) Season 2 premiere

Pan Am (10:01pm on ABC) Season 1 finale

Ice Loves Coco (10:30pm on E) Season 2 premiere

Rattlesnake Republic (11pm on Animal) New series

 

Monday, February 20

Basketball Wives (8pm on VH1) Season 4 premiere

Million Dollar Collections (8pm on HD Theater) new auto series where Bob and Paul Milhous assemble a vast assortment of the world's most unique mechanical devices.

Bethenny Ever After (9pm on Bravo) Season 3 premiere

Renaissance Man (10pm on HD Theater) new auto series

 

Tuesday, February 21

Caught Red Handed (9pm on TruTV) New reality series

 

Wednesday, February 22

Royal Pains (10pm on USA) Season 3 finale

American Weed (10pm on National Geographic) New reality series

 

If you follow GeekTonic for the TV Premieres and news, you’ll want to click here if you would like to get a regular e-mail for GeekTonic TV Premieres & News

Google TV Hints at Monday Announcements

A bit short on details but the GoogleTV Facebook page is hinting at some “big announcements” for GoogleTV coming Monday.

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Whole Home Music Streaming Device?

Some are speculating that it will be a Sonos competitor based on a WSJ article

“Google Inc. is developing a home-entertainment system that streams music wirelessly throughout the home and would be marketed under the company's own brand, according to people briefed on the company's plans.”

I suppose that is possible given Google’s continued attempt to bring Google Music to peoples attention, but I suspect the announcement will be one of two things:

Guess #1:

New content providers – the new Verizon/Redbox streaming solution discussed this past month could be one of the new providers and there is certainly room for others.  This would be a “nice-to-have” announcement, but wouldn’t be “big” in my eyes.

Guess #2:

New GoogleTV Devices – this is more of a long-shot, but this is the one I hope we will hear about.  I know that Google has a team working on some significant upgrades to GoogleTV that could bring it closer to the Media/HTPC world (more on this soon), but I didn’t expect anything until later in 2012.  It’s possible they want to give the world a sneak peak at what they are working on to beat Apple to the punch.

Guess #3:

Some sort of software update?  Google has said there will be several updates coming this year – in particular Ice Cream Sandwich (Android) will come to GoogleTV.  This could be that announcement.

On a sidenote, I find it curious that this tease from GoogleTV was posted only on Facebook and not on Google+.  The Google+ GoogleTV page has nothing about it at least thus far.

 

via GoogleTV Facebook Page

Monday, February 06, 2012

Netflix Jumps into Scripted TV Series World with Lilyhammer

Netflix launches its ambitious move into original TV series programming today.  It’s new streaming TV series is available today with all 8 episodes of its first season available all at once today, February 6th. 

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The new Netflix Inc. original series starring and co-written by E Street Band guitarist and “The Sopranos” actor Steven Van Zandt. 

Mobster Stuck in Norway

The series brings back the mobster character we knew from “The Sopranos,” played by Steven Van Zandt.  He stars as Frank “The fixer” Tagliano who gets forced into the witness protection program and moved to the town of Lillehammer in Norway.  This is a dark comedy that looks pretty promising.  This series might be successful for Netflix in the U.S. although I wonder if American’s distaste for subtitles might get in the way.

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Subtitles?

The series was filmed in Norway and the only English dialog spoken in the movie is by Van Zandt.  All other characters in the Norway setting are speaking Norwegian with English subtitles.  I haven’t seen the first episode yet, but I look forward to checking it out.  The series is already a hit in Norway and will be premiering in the U.S, Latin America and Canada as well.

Netflix Original Programing – More Coming Soon

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This is only the beginning of Netflix’s move into becoming a “channel” of TV & movie content.  Netflix will be bringing David Fincher & Kevin Spacey’s political series “House of Cards,”  the new Netflix-exclusive season of “Arrested Development” and “Hemlock Grove”, Jenji Kohan’s (Producer of Weeds) new comedy “Orange is the New Black.”  As you can see, Netflix is very serious about this “experiment.”  Netflix has been bidding against HBO and AMC for some of this original content and they fully intend to bring original programming value to it’s network.  This should be interesting as Netflix becomes more HBO-like and HBO becomes more Netflix-like with their HBO-go setup.

American TV Transforming before our RealityTV watching Eyes

I begin this with an obvious fact.  Reality TV has invaded nearly every facet of American TV networks.  This change is driven by the massive changes in the advertising world but the end result will be the complete transformation of the television industry as we know it.  It’s not something coming in the next decade – it’s already begun.

 

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I began writing this story after tweeting this:

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This is the new face of History Channel:

Swamp People on the History Channel

 

A La Carte TV Programming Coming?

In the near future, network and basic cable TV channels will have nothing but the cheapest programming available to them.  That means realityTV programming known in the industry as unscripted television and lower-tier sports.  The rest will be reruns of older tv series or older programming from pay channels.  If you’re one of those who has been anxiously waiting for the A La Carte programming where you decide which channels you get with cable or satellite TV, well you’re going to get something close to that.  But you might not like it once you realize what it means.

1999 – It Begins

Around 1999 and 2000, American TV watched the success of unscripted shows like Big Brother and Survivor.  The late-night talk show hosts liked to make fun of these shows, but it was very obvious that many were watching these shows – in numbers that were large enough that networks realized this could be a gold mine.  Inexpensive production, no money to pay stars, and the fact that these were treated like “live” events made audiences watch it as it aired instead of “DVR’ing” them like they were doing with many of the other series.  Then in 2001 ratings dropped.  Network executives and press began saying it was a passing fad that would eventually dwindle.  But they didn’t dwindle.  The number of realityTV shows continued to slowly increase in the 2000s.

RealityTV Multiplies in 2007

Fast forward to the writers strike in 2007.  Network executives and programmers literally had thousands of television hours to fill and no new scripted shows to fill that time with.  An easy answer for the executives was to ramp up reality series and fill the void.  No actors or writers to deal with during the strike and they were cheap to produce.  Add in the fact that TV audiences had nothing else to watch either and you have the perfect storm.  The strike was finally resolved in early 2008, but rumblings of a Screen Actor’s Guild strike kept the industry hesitant to commit to very many new scripted shows for another year.

This time allowed for reality TV programming to take hold.  Network executives came to the realization that while the quality of the programming took a serious hit, the profit from these shows many times INCREASED the advertising revenue because more people were watching these shows live.

Fast Forward to 2012:  RealityTV is Everywhere

If you watch much TV you already know this.  But I’ll point out the obvious and show how much unscripted TV has taken over.  Doing a simple search for reality programming on Monday, February 6th from 7pm EST through 10pm EST and you will find more than 70 airings of reality TV programs across the networks (cable and major networks).  And it’s all over the channels, not just Spike and TruTV.  You find things like Paranormal State on Biography, Pawn Stars on History, Hoarding: Buried Alive on TLC, World’s Strictest Parents on CMT, Supernanny on Style, Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E, and The Bachelor on ABC. 

This is just a small sampling of shows on TV these days.  The History Channel is no longer about… well about history.  Instead primetime this week on the History Channel you will find the following:  Pawn Stars, Cajun Pawn Stars, American Restoration, Swamp People, Mudcats, Top Gear and American Pickers.  Not a single history-centric airing on the channel they call “History Channel.”

Move on to the channel formerly known as SciFi, now renamed SyFy.  You will find reality TV programming littered in its primetime lineup like Face Off, Ghost Hunters, and WWE Friday Night SmackDown.  We could go through nearly all channels and see much of the same thing.  Scripted series are surviving here and there, but they tend to fall in two categories:  the less expensive to produce like sitcoms and the mass appeal series like CSI, House and Criminal Minds.

The Future of Scripted TV – You Will Pay For It

So what does all of this mean for you and me when we look for quality, scripted TV programming?  It means we will have to pay for it.  More on that in the next segment – stay tuned.

Sunday, February 05, 2012

TV This Week-Premieres & Finales 2/5/2012

February is here and the list slowly moves from premieres to finales.  But there are a few notable premieres in the list for this week including Smash and The River.  Check out the complete list below.

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Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty both posing as Marilyn Monroe for the new musical series Smash – premiering Monday on NBC (Photo by Mark Seliger/NBC)

NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST – TV schedules subject to change

Sunday, February 5

Super Bowl XLVI (3pm on NBC)

The Voice (10pm on NBC) Season 2 premiere

 

Monday, February 6

Trailer for the new Netflix Exclusive TV Series Lilyhammer

Lilyhammer (Netflix) Netflix launches its ambitious new streaming TV series with all 8 episodes of its first season available all at once on February 6th.  The new Netflix Inc. original series starring and co-written by E Street Band guitarist and “The Sopranos” actor Steven Van Zandt.  I’m betting this one is a huge success for Netflix and is an example of the future of scripted TV.  More on that on GeekTonic this week.

Smash (10pm on NBC) New music/drama series from executive producer Steven Spielberg.  It’s about the making of a broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.  Starring Katherine McPhee, Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston.  The buzz and early reviews on this one are very good.  Will be interesting to see if the ratings are good also.

 

Tuesday, February 7

The River (9pm on ABC) New mystery series written by the writer/director of “Paranormal” and filmed much like the “Blair Witch Project.”  Six months after adventurer Dr. Emmet Cole goes missing in the Amazon, his location beacon sends out a signal; Emmet's wife, Tess, along with her son and Emmet's film crew, embark on a journey to find him; a crew member goes missing.

Doomsday Preppers (9pm on National Geographic) New documentary series

The Real Housewives of Orange County (9pm on Bravo) Season 7 premiere

 

Wednesday, February 8

Person to Person (8pm on CBS) New news series with the same name and format as the one that was once hosted by Edward R. Murrow.  This version is hosted by Charlie Rose and Lara Logan.  The focus is on celebrity interviews in their homes.  Should be interesting to see how this one does.

Guess Who Succeeds (8pm on Food) New series where three real-life food entrepreneurs fight for their business.

Inside the NFL (9pm on Showtime) Season finale

 

Thursday, February 9

Love at First Byte (6pm on CNBC) A special all about online dating

Swamp People (9pm on History) Season 3 premiere

Mudcats (10pm on History) New reality series where six of Oklahoma's most respected hand fishing teams hit the water, braving hundred-degree plus heat and severe drought conditions, in hopes of bagging colossal flathead catfish.  And the “history” channel continues its slide into irrelevancy.

 

 

Friday, February 10

Valentine’s Day Massacre (10pm on National Geographic) A special about the 1929 slaying ordered by Al Capone

 

Saturday, February 11

Parking Wars (9pm on A&E) Season 5 premiere

Billy the Exterminator (10pm on A&E) Season 5 premiere

 

Sunday, February 12

Wild Mississippi (8pm on National Geographic Wild) New nature/documentary series

Worst Cooks in America (9pm on Food) Season 3 premiere

Full Metal Jousting (10pm on History) New reality series

Comic Book Men (10pm on dAMC) New reality series

My Strange Addiction (10pm on TLC) Season 3 premiere

 

Tuesday, February 14

Cougar Town (8:30pm on ABC) Season 3 premiere

Teen Mom 2 (10pm on MTV) Season 2 finale

Top Shot (10pm on History) Season 4 premiere

 

Wednesday, February 15

Survivor: One World (8pm on CBS) Season 24 premiere

Top Guns (10pm on History) New military/tech series about…. guns.

 

If you follow GeekTonic for the TV Premieres and news, you’ll want to click here if you would like to get a regular e-mail for GeekTonic TV Premieres & News

Monday, January 23, 2012

TV This Week-Premieres & Finales 1/23/2012

Closing in on February, there’s a few notables on the Premiere list – in particular Fox’s new “Touch.”

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Kiefer Sutherland Stars in the new “Touch” series on Fox

 

NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST – TV schedules subject to change

Monday, January 23

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (9pm on Bravo) Season 2 finale

The Layover (9pm on Travel) Season finale for Anthony Bourdain’s series

American Masters (10pm on PBS) Season premiere

How Do I Look? (10pm on Style) Season finale

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (10pm on Travel) Season premiere

Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too (11pm on Oxygen) Season 3 finale

Tuesday, January 24

 

All-Star Dealers (8pm on Discovery) New reality series

Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? (9pm on WE) Season 2 premiere

Beyond Belief (10pm on OWN) New documentary series

REAL Sports with Bryant Gumbel (10pm on HBO) Season 18 premiere

Extreme Couponing All-Stars (10pm on TLC) Season 1 finale

Wednesday, January 25

 

Touch (9pm on Fox) New Drama Series with Kiefer Sutherland produced by Tim Kring.  On my record list

American Greed (9pm on CNBC) Season premiere

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (9pm on CBS) the end for Marg Helgenberger on CSI

The Challenge: Battle of the Exes (10pm on MTV) Season 22 premiere

Dark Minds (10pn on Investigation Discovery) New crime series

 

Thursday, January 26

Fat Chef (10pm on Food) New food series

Russell Simmons Presents the Ruckus (10pm on Comedy) Season premier

Inside Comedy (11pm on Showtime) New standup comedy series hosted by David Steinberg.  First up is Jerry Seinfeld and Don Rickles

 

Friday, January 27

 

Top Shot (5pm on History) Season 1 finale

 

Chuck (9pm on NBC) This is the end of the series for Chuck.  Chuck Versus the Goodbye

 

Deadly Women (10pm on Investigation Discovery) Season finale

 

Bering Sea Gold (10:01pm on Discovery) New reality series

 

 

 

Saturday, January 28

Namath (9pm on HBO) A special documentary on Joe Namath

 

Sunday, January 29

Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off (10pm on Food) Season 1 finale

Kourtney & Kim Take New York (10pm on E) Season 2 finale

Majors & Minors (10pm on Hub) Season 1 finale

After Lately (11pm on E) Season 2 finale

 

Monday, January 30

Cake Boss: Next Great Baker (9pm on TLC) Season 2 finale

 

Tuesday, January 31

Kitchen Boss (5:30pm on TLC) Season premiere

Celebrity Wife Swap (9pm on ABC) Season 1 finale

Tosh.0 (10pm on Comedy) Season 4 premiere

Tory & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood (10pm on Oxygen) Season 6 finale)

Key & Peele (10:30pm on Comedy) New comedy Series with Keegan-Michael Key & Jordan Peele

 

Wednesday, February 1

Beast Tracker (9pm on Discovery) New nature series

 

Thursday, February 2

I Just Want My Pants Back (11pm on MTV) new comedy/drama series

Delocated (12pm on Cartoon) Season 3 premiere

 

If you follow GeekTonic for the TV Premieres and news, you’ll want to click here if you would like to get a regular e-mail for GeekTonic TV Premieres & News

Monday, January 16, 2012

TV This Week-Premieres & Finales 1/16/2012

Moving further through January we see even more new TV premieres.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume most of you have DVRs or HTPCs to tell you when your favorite TV series are returning from holiday break and we’ll focus on the new premieres, finales and specials as we always do.

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                               JJ Abrams Alcatraz premieres Monday on Fox

NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST – TV schedules subject to change

Monday, January 16

Alcatraz (8pm on Fox) The new J.J. Abrams produced series.  This one is a crime mystery/drama where Detective Rebecca Madsen and Dr. Diego Soto joins forces with a secret agency charged with catching recently resurfaced Alcatraz inmates; the team retraces the steps of the past to apprehend a sniper who is targeting young victims.  Starring Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill and more.  It’s on my list to record – we’ll see if it lives up to the hype.

Betty White’s 90th Birthday (8pm on NBC) Special tribute

Being Human (9pm on SyFy) Season 2 premiere

Scouted (10pm on E) Season 1 finale

 

Tuesday, January 17

Remodeled (9pm on CW) New reality/fashion series

Southland (10pm on TNT) Season 4 premiere

Justified (10pm on FX) Season 3 premiere

Ragin’ Cajuns (10pm on Discovery) New reality series about shrimpers

 

Wednesday, January 18

American Idol (8pm on Fox) Season 11 premiere

Sons of Guns (9pm on Discovery) Season 2 finale

 

Thursday, January 19

Beyond Scared Straight (10pm on A&E) Season 2 finale

Archer (10pm on FX) Season 3 premiere

Unsupervised (10:30pm on FX) New animated comedy series where we join the lives of two teenage best friends, Gary and Joel. The duo are optimistic teens taking on teenage life and all of it's hurdles without any parental guidance whatsoever.  Cast voices include Justin Long & Kirstin Bell.

Friday, January 20

Shark Tank (8pm on ABC) Season 3 premiere

Primetime: What Would You Do? (9pm on ABC) Season 5 premiere

Great Performances at the Met (9pm on PBS) Season 6 premiere begins with Anna Bolena

On Freddie Roach (9:30pm on HBO) New sports reality series about boxing trainer Freddie Roach

Swanderosa (10pm on CMT) New reality series

 

Saturday, January 21

Bayou Billionaires (9pm on CMT) New reality series

My Big Redneck Vacation (9:30pm on CMT) New reality series

 

Sunday, January 22

Majors & Minors (10pm on Hub) Season finale

Chef Roble & Co. (10pm on Bravo) Season 1 finale

American Masters (10pm on PBS) Season premiere

 

Monday, January 23

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (9pm on Bravo) Season 2 finale

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (10pm on Travel) Season premiere

Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too (11pm on Oxygen) Season 3 finale

Tuesday, January 24

Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? (9pm on WE) Season 2 premiere

REAL Sports with Bryant Gumbel (10pm on HBO) Season 18 premiere

Extreme Couponing All-Stars (10pm on TLC) Season 1 finale

Wednesday, January 25

American Greed (9pm on CNBC) Season premiere

The Challenge: Battle of the Exes (10pm on MTV) Season 22 premiere

 

Thursday, January 26

Fat Chef (10pm on Food) New food series

Russell Simmons Presents the Ruckus (10pm on Comedy) Season premier

Inside Comedy (11pm on Showtime) New standup comedy series hosted by David Steinberg.  First up is Jerry Seinfeld and Don Rickles

 

Friday, January 27

 

 

If you follow GeekTonic for the TV Premieres and news, you’ll want to click here if you would like to get a regular e-mail for GeekTonic TV Premieres & News