It's official: GE has sold 51% of NBC Universal to Comcast, for approximately $6.5 billion dollars in cash (what are the odds they'll use this as an excuse to raise my cable bill again?). It'll take about a year to go through the regulatory and anti-trust gauntlets, but after that, the cable giant will be in charge.
Everyone makes fun of NBCU because of the NBC's bumbling high-profile moves over the last half-decade or so, but the reason why the company was so attractive to Comcast was not the broadcast network, but its über-successful cable networks, especially Bravo and USA. Still, it's embarrassing to have your flagship net stumble around like a disoriented shopper on Black Friday. So, if I were in the Comcast executive suite, here's a few things I'd do to prop up the Peacock:
This looks like something a fan made up on the web but it was actually created by CBS. It's to promote the upcoming airings of Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns, as well as How I Met Your Mother. Is there anything Neil Patrick Harris isn't in these days?
If you're a fan of sweeping 19th century British tales of lost innocence and moral influences and zombies, God has answered your prayers.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the wildly popular adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel infused with kick-ass zombie action by writer Seth Grahame-Smith, is being made into a six-part TV mini-series. Groovy! Is there any chance they could convince Keira Knightley to don the frock one more time and pick up a kitana for some serious Elizabethan ass kicking?
The series hasn't scored a network or even a start date since the production has barely made its way out of its egg shell, but the project seems promising so far. Deadline Productions is at the ship's helm who produced a very quirky looking science-fiction cop series called Phoo Action for the BBC. Make sure you wait at least one hour after taking your ecstasy before viewing the trailer.
(S01E09) "Do you remember what happened to Gloria that day? Because I do. We both have our secrets, Bun. I'll keep yours if you keep mine." - Darryl
Well, darn. As I mentioned last week, Eastwick keeps getting better and better. This week's episode was the best yet! Funny, dramatic, good characters, and some tense action at the end. And the best part is that the witches are finally realizing their powers and using them for good. If the series continued, we might see that they'd be tempted to use their powers for more nefarious purpose.
We also saw Darryl get a little more evil-ish with Bun. It made me realize that perhaps he's not the gadabout town guy who just loves women and being a big-shot. Then again, maybe he's not as bad a guy as I think (see above quote).
It's official: President Barack Obama has officially ruined Christmas.
Pundits and TV viewers from up and down the dial are calling out President Obama for airing his big speech on the troop surge in Afghanistan and preempting ABC's airing of the classic Christmas cartoon A Charlie Brown Christmas. If this causes a move for impeachment, I may never awake from my laughter coma.
Not only was the story the top headline on yesterday morning's Drudge Report, but the pundits really jumped in to turn the President into their own personal Scrooge.
So we didn't have any major walkout or cutting of the electricity during the live broadcast of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting on NBC last night. But we did have enough things to talk about the day after.
I could discuss the lip synching that a lot of the acts decided to do (I'm looking at you, Barry Manilow) and point out just how bad Rod Stewart is at doing either old standards or soul songs. But I really want to talk about Jane Krakowski. She hosted (along with Chuck's Zachary Levi) and it was a little...surreal.
This was a variety show that wasn't too different than a special TGS that the 30 Rock gang might put on, and it almost seemed like it was Jenna Maroney hosting. Krakowski basically plays a really exaggerated version of herself on 30 Rock, and I was waiting for her to say something clueless or potentially racist or have a cat jump on her face and scratch her.
(S06E08) "Do I need to start smoking again?!" - Kimber
With only two new episodes left in season six of Nip/Tuck (although, season seven does start right up again in January), I feel pretty confident in saying that "Lola Wlodkowski" will probably go down as the best of this penultimate season's 10 episodes.
For the most part, it stood alone in terms of plot and only loosely tied into the season's overarching arcs. Instead, it provided what was arguably one of the series' best takes on what beauty is while at the same time, reaffirming the differences between Sean and Christian. Hats off to Jennifer Salt for writing a helluva ep.
When Adam Lambert was competing on American Idol, there were times when his performances reminded the judges -- and viewers -- of Elvis Presley. And other rock icons, too. It was all part of Adam's appeal. But now that he's promoting his new CD and did a "scandalous" performance at the American Music Awards, he's really getting the Elvis treatment. There's fear that his actions, which are more graphic than anything Elvis ever did, will go too far.
"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Popularly licensed and profitable is he!"
That's not how the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song goes, but the statement is factually correct. The Nickelodeon yellow legend is still immensely popular across various age ranges. And that gives you some easy gift ideas for kids in and around your family.
Rather than merely give the kid in question a stuffed sponge for the holidays, you can dig a little deeper and offer up a couple Spongebob board games from Hasbro for less than $25 each.