New episode up... and one last Comic-Con note

This is our big Comic-Con show, enjoy.

Another note I wanted to add about Comic-Con is a little movie that somehow got a majority of the buzz at the convention.

Everyone knew that "Twilight" and "Avatar" were going to be awesome (well, the "Twilight" people knew that it would be awesome...), but one movie came out of nowhere... "District 9."

From the look of the trailer it looked like a sci-fi drama, then after the panel with Peter Jackson and a special screening at Comic-Con, all people could talk about was how awesome "District 9" was.

I heard it on the floor, in panels, in lines for panels, outside the convention... everywhere.

So, I think "District 9" wins the award for best word of mouth buzz at Comic-Con

How Jimmy Fallon is saving summer?

I know what you're thinking, you're reading that title and saying what? However, it's true Jimmy Fallon has saved my summer.

First, let me say he's done a surprisingly good job with his new talk show and The Roots are always a delight, but the real surprise of the summer has been his continuing series "Seventh Floor West."

A hilarious parody of "The Hills," it stars Jimmy as a talk show host trying to make it in the drama filled world of the seventh floor of Rockefeller Center. The clips feature all the classic "Hills" gags like backstabbing, monologues, a douchey villain and of course, drama.

They've been airing every Monday during the summer and are absolutely worth staying up late for. I often find myself laughing out loud at the situations Jimmy finds himself in and the hilarious drama that ensues.

So for anyone who needs a serious laugh and wants original summer programming, I suggest you head over to seventhfloorwest.com and catch up on all the latest episodes.

Another day, another 'Batman' rumor

Unlike the real "Batman" news of the week from Comic-Con, where Gary Oldman indicated that the new film will be shooting next year, today's "Batman" rumor is ugly, scary, stupid, moronic and downright lies.

Apparently (saying that with a grain of salt) Miley Cyrus of "Hannah Montana" "fame" "auditioned" for a role in the new "Batman" film... as Batgirl.

Even though Gordon's children are all... children in the series.

The "newspaper" The Globe says she dressed up in a batsuit and wrote her own dialogue to impress studio execs at Warner Bros.

How many times do these magazines and newspapers need to print lies about the "Batman" sequels before everyone just blows them off right away.

Remember Cher as Catwoman?

Eddie Murphy as The Riddler?

Christopher Nolan is not going to do this. Trust me. No one is going to do this.

'Sha na na na, sha na na na...' again

It was announced today (by many sources, read it in at least five Web sites) that Ben Silverman, who is in charge of NBC is leaving to do... something else.

To be frank I stopped caring after the sentence that said he was leaving.

I have been screaming it for months that he needed to go. NBC is basically in the toliet ratings and creative wise. Most of its new shows were horrible. "Kath and Kim" anyone?

Ugh, now I'm gonna have nightmares.

NBC hasn't done anything great, other than "Saturday Night Live" in a long, long time. Yes, "Heroes" I am looking at you.

I am a firm believer that if your company is doing horrible in the ratings and the content of the shows is beyond weak that the person is charge should be fired. But, NBC has been keeping him for months while it loses tons and tons of money.

Of course Silverman's hands are all over this season so it might take a while to see the full effects of him leaving. Maybe by midseason NBC can start turning around.

The new guy in that position, Jeff Gaspin, has a lot of work ahead of him. On the plus side Gaspin has been managing the cable networks like USA and Bravo. So he already has a few extra points on his side with me.

Tim's 'I told ya so' moment of Comic-Con

Last week I blogged about how they were going to have a panel for the new Patricia Heaton sitcom at Comic-Con.

I wondered why. What in the history of Comic-Con told these people that this was a good idea. It doesn't fit any demographic for Comic-Con AT ALL.

Today, this story came out:

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/07/patricia-heaton-comic-con-.html

My first reaction was that of a little sadness. It has to be embrassing for something like that to happen, but really, what did they expect?

It wasn't even in the convention center, it was at a hotel across the street. During the WB panel and "Battlestar Galactica" panel!

For sure one of the bombs of Comic-Con

Sunday, near the end

There were really no panels I was dying to see Sunday. I was going to try to get into the "Smallville" panel, but the line was beyond insane (people must have gotten up really early, not "Twilight" early though...).

So I started the day with sitting in on the panel for the cartoon "The Spectacular Spiderman" and ran into actress Kelly Hu. She is beyond gorgeous in person.

I haven't really seen much of the cartoon, but the crowd seemed to be really into the clips shown and the answers given about future content. Most of the questions asked were if a certain character was ever going to appear on the show. Lots of "maybe" and "hopefully" answers. Did find out that Hu likes voice acting because she can go to work in her pajamas and she would like to do that for the rest of her career.

Later I walked by Ballroom 20 and saw they were letting anyone walk right in for the "American Dad" panel. I passed. Have you seen the show?

Most of the rest of the day was spent walking around the show floor, just chilling. Truth be told I was tired and really ready to leave, but I wanted to finish out the con.

I ended the week with a panel called "Sunday Conversations" with the Dan Didio from DC Comics. What the panel ended up being was Didio walking through the crowd just talking about comics. He told the crowd that his mother died that week, but he wanted to be here today JUST for this panel. And he was right, it was great. Everyone was laughing so hard there were tears as the crowd and Didio talked about great moments in comics to the most ridiculous moments ever. It was great to be in there with so many people that just love comics.

A great way to end a five day adventure marathon.

Ugh, not the best day ever

After being grumpy with the "Lost" panel I was hoping to cheer myself up with a few different things.

I was set to interview the cast of "Fringe," then I was going to try to get into the panel then finish the night off with a "City of Heroes" game panel.

Right after the "Lost" panel I headed for the press room to type everything up. I noticed that I had a little bit of time before the interviews were set to start so I headed over to the DC Comics "Blackest Night" panel.

The panel started late, of course. By the time they really started going, and talking about the different philosophies of the different corps I had to run to the interviews. OK, it's cool, I am leaving something cool to do something cooler.

But, "Fringe" wasn't in the press room that they told us. "The Cleveland Show" was. And there were a bunch of journalists sitting around wondering what was going on. After a good while someone told us that the "Fringe" interviews were moved to another room... halfway across the convention center.

Walking fast I take off toward the room, by the time I got there 15 minutes had already passed and the room was PACKED. Not a seat to be had. And if you didn't have a seat, no interviews. Plus, half of the interviews were already over. I was beyond mad. I just walked out.

Add to that the line for the "Fringe" panel was insane and obvious I wouldn't get in. Plus, the "Iron Man 2" panel was at the same time and I knew I couldn't get into that either.

OK, that's cool, I'll just head to the show floor. BIG, big mistake. Words can't describe the sheer amount of people on the floor. It was worse than the worst traffic on a freeway. There were points where I was standing still for minutes trying to get through.

The "City of Heroes" panel wasn't for another hour, but I thought I would just sit in on whatever panel was happening before and just get a good seat.

Enter Jeff Katz and his company "American Original" or as I like to call it "Ow my head hurts."

Katz is a comic book writer and movie producer and if you didn't know that he'd tell you over and over. It was one hour of patting themselves on the back with news of what their company was going to do. I think they are a comics company, but also a PR business, but it was hard to figure out. "Hey, we're cool! I know movie people!" He also called Blair Butler from G4 one of the leading women in the comics movement. I wanted to throw my phone. Really painful.

Thankfully the "City of Heroes" panel was good, so not a complete waste of a day.

Mixed feeling for 'Lost' panel

Remembering how early I got in line Friday for the Warner Bros. panel, I got up just as early for what is called the last "Lost" panel at Comic-Con.

I rushed to get to the line about 7:15 a.m. and there were already about a hundred more people in line than yesterday. But, in my rush to get out I left all reading material.

And the panel didn't start until 11 a.m.

So I literally just sat there for three hours. Doing nothing. It was almost unbearable. Thankfully the weather was great, because if it was sunny and hot I might have just got up and left. By the time they started letting us in I was a little on the grumpy side. Sitting there bored for three hours will do that to anyone.

As we entered they handed out materials for something called "Lost University," http://lostuniversity.org/, which looks to be another of ABC yearly internet related promotions of the show.

Onto the panel itself. People went crazy when Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof came out and they did a little skit about taking the final pages of the series finale and locking them in a box, only to reveal what's inside on Jimmy Kimmel the night of the finale.

This started something that annoyed me. Lots of skits, all while dozens and dozens of people waited in line to ask questions. They had comedian Paul Sheer "ask" a question, which turned out to be a horrible, horrible skit that went on about five minutes too long.

Then Jorge Garcia appeared to ask a question that lead into a long skit between him and Michael Emerson. While funny, still wasted a lot of time.

There were a few news bits to come out; Juliet and Farrady will be back, Dharma won't have much of a presence this season and there won't be any more time travel or flash forwards.

They also showed a few clips that really hint toward what this season will be about: Oceanic Airlines saying they haven't had a crash in 30 years, Hurley owning a chicken place with a new special he got while vacationing in Australia and an "America's Most Wanted" clip where Kate Austin is wanted for killing her step-father's co-worker and escaping from a federal marshal.

That prompted Lindelof to say "Interesting, I thought Kate DID kill her step-father."

To me, it looks like Jack's plan DID work and they never crashed on the island.

The panel was only one hour and could have, and probably should have, been two. Everyone left happy, but me. I was still a little grumpy.

Meeting Geoff Johns

I was just walking around the convention floor Wednesday night, not really looking for anything.

It was packed and I really just wanted to get a few topics for some blogs and get out of there. I walked past the DC Comics booth and glanced over at some people gathered around a table. I did a quick double take as I saw "Green Lantern" writer Geoff Johns signing autographs.

Now, I came to Comic-Con to cover it not geek out all week. But, I told myself I could geek out a couple of times as long as I got a lot of work done too.

I geeked out as I jumped into the line. You see I foresaw that this exact thing might happen and brought my hardcover copy of "The Sinestro Corps War" with me... just in case.

Everyone else in line just had Johns sign the free copies of "Blackest Night" No. 0 they had sitting out.

Johns was very cool, shaking everyone's hand and greeting them warmly. I handed him my book and he smiled, opened it up and did this:

Yes, I got a special drawing to go along with my autograph. The people behind me were jealous.

Warner Bros. rocks Comic-Con pt. 2

Continuing with the two and a half hour Warner Bros. movie panel was Richard Kelly's ("Donnie Darko") new film "The Box."

Now, I had been excited about this film when I first saw the trailer a few weeks ago. It is about a couple who receives a strange box, then an offer. If they push the button two things will happen. One, someone in the world who they don't know will die. Second, they will get $1 million dollars in cash. The movie then turns into some weird, crazy sci-fi thriller. Both cool and kind of scary.

Cameron Diaz and James Marsden both were on hand for the panel. They talked about why the film is set in the 70s. The reason made sense. If the film was set in current times, everyone is connected with Facebook etc. Plus the couple could just Google things to get answers, which is one scene Kelly said he didn't want to film.

Another interesting point is Kelly said there is not one single swear word in the film. Diaz was asked about the film's look and said it has a very "Kubrick/Hitchcock feel" which is really evident from the trailer.

The next film was "Jonah Hex" and the row of teenage girls behind us were already starting to scream for the thought of Megan Fox coming out. Shouldn't the guys be screaming for her? Strange.

Well, she did come out... and everyone freaked. I don't get it, but to each their own. Star Josh Brolin also showed up and both seemed very excited for the film. The trailer was pretty cool with the western backdrop to the film surrounded with a supernatural feel. One part saw a crow climbing out of Brolin's mouth. Very disturbing, but slightly interesting as well. They talked about how the budget was very small, but you really couldn't tell from the trailer. Something I would agree with. They really stretched each dollar it seems.

I really can't quote a lot of the panel since they were all cussing up a storm. Like sailors I tell ya. Another bad thing, at one point a guy with a camera asked Fox if she would make a sex tape with him. He got in big trouble (and boo'ed). Turns out he sat behind me. Security came over and grabbed him. Turns out he was wearing his mother's Comic-Con badge. Imagine having to explain why you got in trouble to your mom for that...

As Fox was posing for photos after that Robert Downey Jr. appeared on stage and the crowd exploded! You have thought he was giving away money to everyone. A giant standing ovation and people screaming like crazy.

And I thought Bruce Campbell was the king of Comic-Con. Sorry Bruce, you just got dethroned.

Downey was there to show clips of his new film "Sherlock Holmes." Most of the clips were the same as the trailer released a while ago, but with new shots added in. There looks to be a big fight taking place on a bridge being constructed and a good amount of CGI.

The film looks to have a good mixture of action and comedy. It comes out Christmas day.

Warner Bros. rocks Comic-Con pt. 1

Corrine and I got up early to get in line for the big Warner Bros. movie panel happening in Hall H Friday. Hall H is huge and holds around 6,700 people.

We got to the line, which was outside, about 7:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. panel. There were already a few hundred people in line. I didn't see a need to either camp out or get up earlier. We waited in line for about two hours before they started letting people in. The time went by fast as we were still talking about what to see and do for the rest of the convention.

The first movie that Warner Bros. presented was "Where the Wild Things Are," and the star Max Records was on hand to introduce some clips. The coolest part of watching the clips was how dead silent the crowd was. These clips had everyone just staring at the screen in awe. We got to see the monsters and Max playing around and joking. It's not everyday that you get to see such a beloved children's book adapted so well to the big screen. I told Stephanie that by just what we saw I can see an Academy Award in this movie's future. It gave me goosebumps.

The second film was "The Book of Eli" which had a rough start as they showed a motion graphic novel first without any explanation. I looked at Corinne a few times as I was confused a bit. From what I gathered it seemed to be a prequel of the film's villain and his back story. Then they showed the trailer (which I didn't know was also showing today during showings of "The Orphan"). It stars Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman and takes place 30 years in the future with Washington's character walking around a post apocalyptic future with the key to saving humanity, the book it's assumed.

Washington was the best part of the trailer. He was in full on action hero mode, kicking butt and taking names. I was really impressed with it. They then introduced Oldman and Washington to the crowd, who came out to wild, crazy applause.

Like with Dule Hill and James Roday from "Psych," Washington and Oldman had a great chemistry together. Both said the main reason for doing this film was to work together. They both were gracious and funny. They should make an excellent team when the film is released.

The third film that was given the spotlight was "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and based on the crowd reaction, the one everyone was waiting for. The trailer was shown, the first time an audience had seen it and it was amazing. I am an semi-old school horror guy. I liked the original "Nightmare" series, the early "Friday the 13th" films etc. I didn't like the remake of "Friday the 13th" this year. At all. And the same guys are making this one.

But, I think, based on the trailer that they got this one right. The back story of the parents killing Freddy by setting him on fire is the same, as well as him coming back for revenge against the children is the same. One thing I think they did great was not give us a clear full on look at Freddy. Perfect. He needs to be hidden in the shadows and that's what makes him scary.

I beg them to not show him at all in trailers, posters, photos etc. Let that surprise be when we sit down to watch the film. Back to the trailer which is full of scares and teenagers about to die, just what every "Nightmare" film is all about.

The filmmakers talked about how this Freddy is more scary and terrifying, than the later versions of Freddy who was more joking around and having fun. I'm fine with that. They also said that original Fredd, Robert Englund, was not going to have a cameo in the film, which was met with some boos from the crowd. They explained that Englund, though, has been supportive of the new Freddy, "Watchmen" and Academy Award nominated Jackie Earle Haley. The film comes out April 30.

How disappointment turned to excitement

So, Thursday was our big day. Two panels Stephanie and I both wanted to see and two sets of interviews to be conducted.

We had the chance to interview the casts of "Psych" and "Burn Notice." But, the scheduling was a complete nightmare.

First was the "Psych" interviews, but they were going on at the same time as the "Burn Notice" panel. Right after that was the "Burn Notice" interviews, but they were going on at the same time as the"Psych" panel. Gotta love great planning.

Stephanie and I worked it out that I would handle "Psych" and she would take "Burn Notice," although I'm not sure if Michael Shanks being at the "Burn Notice" stuff helped her choice or not.

So, Stephanie got into Ballroom 20 for the "Burn Notice" panel and I went to interview the cast of "Psych." I had a blast. Everyone was so funny and nice.

Finally got what they think of "The Mentalist," which is basically a dramatic version of "Psych." Steve Franks, creator and producer of the show, basically called "The Mentalist" a generic version of "Psych," which I kind of agree with. Sorry Simon Baker.

Dule Hill and James Roday are probably the best duo on television today and sitting down to talk with them only proved that fact. They seem to have that friendship and chemistry like they do on the show. They played off each other during the interview so well.

And don't get me started on how beautiful Maggie Lawson is in person...

I asked the network people if there was a way for me to get into the "Psych" panel that was happening in just a few minutes, since a huge line had formed while I was interviewing the cast.

"Run really fast," she told me. Lovely.

I get out of the interviews and the sheer amount of people in line tell me there is no way I'm getting in there. I call Stephanie and we work out that she'll just stay in the Ballroom while I do the "Burn Notice" interviews too. I felt bad, I did. This was supposed to be a two person job, but there were really no other options.

Of course it's common knowledge that Bruce Campbell rocks. I got breaking news from Campbell and creator Matt Nix that they are working on a television prequel movie about Campbell's character on the show Sam Axe. That was cool.

Campbell was also asked what part he would play in Sam Raimi's "World of Warcraft" movie that was just announced.

"Probably a garbage man," he said.

It was a great few hours to be had and Stephanie even enjoyed the panels. I wouldn't say we both won, but the best was made out of a crappy situation.

First panel of Comic-Con

I was going to have my first panel of Comic-Con be the Entertainment Weekly's Wonder Women one, but saw that Ballroom 20 was near empty for the panel right before that one with "Quantum Quest."

I thought "Well, at least I'll be able to sit down..."

"Quantum Quest" is a CGI animated film that is based around real scientific space data about surfing protons.

Yes, surfing space protons. With dreadlocks.

From what Stephanie tells me, almost the same exact panel was shown last year, with the same special video clips by Neil Armstrong and Chris Pine being shown at last year's Comic-Con too.

Three things that stood out during this panel:

1. The filmmakers are really pushing that they want this film to not just entertain, but educate children about science. I have an 8-year-old niece, she won't want to see this movie. I can guarantee that.

2. The movie does have one thing going for it, it has voice work by two Darth Vaders (Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones) and two Capt. Kirks (Pine and William Shatner). Which, no matter what I think of the film, is still pretty freaking cool.

3. Actors Doug Jones ("Hellboy") and Robert Picardo ("Star Trek: Voyager") both are really funny men and should do a buddy movie together. I would pay good money to see that. I think if they were not on the panel it would have been very, very boring.

Comic-Con: Day one or Tim LOVES crowds

So, preview night of Comic-Con has come and gone.

And I survived... barely.

The convention opened up from 6-9 p.m. to gives attendees a sneak peek of what the week's events. And a crap load of people came out.

I'm not kidding, there were thousands and thousands of people waiting in line and milling around when I showed up at 4 p.m. to check in.

The checking in process was painless and I spent the remaining waiting time in the press room.

Some highlights of "Preview Night:"

I met "Green Lantern" writer Geoff Johns and had him sign my copy of "The Sinestro Corps War" TPB. Also got my hands on a Black Lantern ring.

Also met "Wonder Woman" writer Gail Simone. She was awesome and very nice. She signed my copy of "Villains United."

More to come...

New episode up... and an editor's note

This episode we talk about the Emmy nominations, what's coming to theaters this week, the best and worst of the year so far and Stephanie makes a bold attempt to stump Tim.

Also, remember starting Wednesday evening we'll be at Comic-Con with live coverage. There might be some Lego Rock Band action, maybe a celebrity interview or two (or three) and of course "Twilight" mania runs wild in San Diego.

What not to see at Comic-Con

Next week this blog will be taken over by a massive wave of Comic-Con goodness. Seriously, I am thinking about my total lack of sleep next week and it's scary.

But, hey, I'm a committed journalist. And maybe after all the madness I will be a journalist who is committed.

Over the past week Stephanie and I have been pouring over each day's schedule and making plans (and plan b's). Trust me when I say there is a TON of things to see and do there. I could just sit through panels alone and be busy the whole time, not counting the show floor and any hands on demonstrations.

There is, though, a few things that I do not want to see. Things I couldn't get paid enough to see.

One show that I used to love, "Heroes," is going to have a panel afterall, but it is offsite at a nearby hotel. Now I wouldn't have walked a few feet to see a "Heroes" panel, so I am not going out in the hot sun to hike over and see one. Once you lost Bryan Fuller, you lost me. Apparently Stephanie's friend IS going to the panel. I wonder how much I can offer her to ask Tim Kring why he still has a job after running the show into the ground. Scratch that, running the show underneath the ground.

For my next choice, I'll just paste what is in the schedule and let it speak for itself:

12:00-1:00 The Middle Special Pilot Screening— Emmy winner Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) makes her Comic-Con debut to introduce a special screening of The Middle, a new comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations. Frankie Heck (Heaton) is a superhero. Well, no, not an actual superhero—but sometimes it seems as though getting her kids out the door for school every morning is a superheroic act. Middle aged, middle class, and living in the middle of the country, this harried wife and working mother of three uses her wry wit and sense of humor to try to get her family through each day intact. The Middle will air Wednesdays at 8:30 PM ET/PT on the ABC Television Network this fall, premiering September 30.

Yeah... how does this appeal to any demographic at Comic-Con? Seriously.

Be on the lookout over the next week for more prelim Comic-Con stuff.

Analyzing the Emmy nominations

This morning the Emmy nominations were announced and while most of my wish list was snubbed, a few new names were added to the recycled list of nominees.

Simon Baker as lead actor in a drama for "The Mentalist" and "Flight of the Concords" and "Family Guy" for outstanding comedy series were among the surprise nominees.

The domination of cable programming is particularly evident in the drama series category, as only two shows, "House" and "Lost," are from broadcast networks.

Even though the television academy did recognize a few new names, there were some very deserving shows and people left off the list. How could they not nominate "The Shield" and stars Michael Chiklis and Walton Goggins for the fantastic work they did on that show's finale?

Also snubbed was "Battlestar Galactica" and Mary McDonnell for that show's last season. The academy traditionally ignores sci-fi, but come on those final episodes were ridiculously good.

I'm also a little disappointed that they didn't recognize "ER" one last time. I'm not usually a fan of sentimental nominations, but in this case I'll make an exception.

Those are my only real complaints, all in all it is a solid list of the best TV has to offer, although I'm still completely perplexed by the appeal of "30 Rock." Oh, and Charlie Sheen was nominated again, so there are some flaws in the system.

The Emmys will air live on CBS on Sept. 20 with nominee Neil Patrick Harris serving as host.

For the full list of nominees, which includes "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog" and two Justin Timberlake nominations for hosting "Saturday Night Live" and co-writing "Motherlover," click here.

Who deserves Emmys?

Tomorrow morning the Emmy nominations are announced and while we will discuss them at great length in the show, I thought I would take a minute and give my list of perfect nominees in a few of the categories.
Outstanding Drama:

• "Battlestar Galactica"
• "24"
• "ER"
• "Burn Notice"
• "The Shield"

Outstanding Comedy:

• "Chuck"
• "How I Met Your Mother"
• "The Office"
• "psych"
• "Eureka"

Lead Actress in a Drama:

• Mary McDonnell-"Battlestar Galactica"
• Mary McCormack-"In Plain Sight"
• Kyra Sedgwick-"The Closer"
• Cherry Jones-"24"
• Connie Britton-"Friday Night Lights"

Lead Actor in a Comedy:

• Alec Baldwin-"30 Rock"
• Colin Ferguson-"Eureka"
• Tony Shaloub-"Monk"
• James Roday-"psych"
• Zachary Levi-"Chuck"

As you can see my choices heavily favor cable shows, reason being cable is producing television that is so much better than the networks. Unfortunately, these nominations are a pipe dream because the Emmys tend to nominate the same people year after year.

If the academy really honored the best shows on TV, they wouldn't keep nominating "Two and a Half Men."

Once again enjoy our full coverage of the Emmy nominations on the next episode of "Viewpoints On..."

200 posts, who saw that coming?

How quickly time goes by? This post is our mind-bending 200th entry.

In that time this blog has undergone a lot of changes, but one thing hasn't changed, our fearless leader Tim Guy.

Tim started this blog and recruited the rest of us to participate. I just thought that I would use this post to say thank you.

I have the great pleasure of working with Tim on a daily basis and he is responsible for not only the growth of this project, but, the high level of journalism that we strive for. Now I know when he reads this he'll think I wasted an entry talking about him, but since it's my day he has no choice.

So to my partner-in-crime, the Murtaugh to my Riggs, or perhaps the Shawn to my Gus, thanks and congratulations.

Ok, enough emotions, tomorrow we will resume our regularly scheduled program of nerdy observations and time consuming pop culture analysis.

Box office Monday

As predicted "Bruno" took the No. 1 spot at the box office earning around $30 million dollars. "Ice Age 3" was close behind with $27 million.

It's kind of hard to compare Sacha Baron Cohen's first film "Borat" to "Bruno" because when the first film opened in 2006, it was only screened on 837 screens, compared to "Bruno" on 2,756.

A $30 million dollar opening weekend is still a good chunk of change no matter what. I'm sure somewhere Cohen is laughing and plotting his next move into the big screen.

Also, as predicted, "I Love You Beth Cooper" couldn't crack the top five and had to settle for No. 7 with a little less than $5 million dollars.

One interesting thing that is developing is that "The Proposal" starring Sandra Bullock is still making good money and is on track to become her highest grossing film (with her in the lead role). Her No. 1 film right now is "Speed" at $121 million. "The Proposal" has about $8 million to go and should have no problem doing that in less than two weeks (My guess-timation).

New episode up... and some breaking news

In this episode we talked about the casting rumors of the new "Green Lantern" movie. Well, just a little while ago, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Ryan Reynolds has gotten the lead part of Hal Jordan.

Wasn't our first pick, but it is by no means a horrible pick. Should be interesting to see if he can pull it off. This might have to be more "Smokin Aces" aka more action and drama and less "Wolverine" which was a lot of action, but mostly comedic relief.

Check back Monday for a more in-depth look at this choice.

My summer show picks

To start, I have not seen a lot of the new offerings for the summer television season. "Hawthorne" is still sitting on my DVR and "Nurse Jackie?" Well, even I can't go there. Even for journalistic curiosity.

So my two picks for good things to watch over the summer are "The Philanthropist" and "Top Chef Masters."

I know Stephanie didn't dig "The Philanthropist" too much, but I did. I like that Jesse L. Martin is back on television and even Neve Campbell is good. Sure, it can get a little preachy now and then but what show doesn't nowadays.

The visuals are excellent, including the first episode where the backdrop was a flood in Africa. James Purefoy, who you might remember from the first "Resident Evil" movie, is great. He is sort of a Bruce Wayne/Batman type character, just without the tights and super kung fu moves. He has some rough edges, but doesn't mind spending tons of money to help out those who need it.

It is inspiring also. It is much better than just watching murder and death all night.

I also really like "Top Chef Masters" mostly because it is devoid of that manufactured reality show drama. I want to see talented people cook, not talking about each other in coffessionals or long scenes of them away from cooking. These top chefs, very famous ones, are there for charity so they don't act like idiots.

Plus, some of their food actually looks good.

Summer TV so far

With a few new shows and some old favorites, summer TV has become as complex as fall. Here is a recap of how the season is going so far.

"The Philanthropist"-With a strong cast, I had high hopes for this show, but the first two episodes were slow and unfocused. James Purefoy is charming as the title character but his transformation feels forced and with shoots taking place in international exotic locales this show seems way too expensive. Verdict: Don't get too attached.

"Warehouse 13"-This new sci-fi show features charming leads with good chemistry and a fun premise, however, it has a long way to go to become appointment television, which is what every great sci-fi show aspires to. Verdict: Still out, the jury's not done deliberating.

"Hawthorne"-Jada Pinkett Smith as a tough nurse, working around the system to help patients. Though it's definitely a star vehicle for Smith, the supporting cast is helping this show hit its stride. In particular the producers should really take note of the chemistry between Smith and Michael Vartan. Verdict: Another strong hit for TNT.

"The Closer"-This show just gets better every season. The way the squad works to solve crimes and the balance that Kyra Sedgwick brings to her character makes this one of the best show's on TV. Verdict: The best of summer.

With more favorites like "psych," "Leverage" and "Project Runway" premiering later in the summer, look for more updates coming up.

Box office Tuesday

A day late, yes, but the Michael Jackson story bumps everything it seems. Plus, Stephanie makes a real important point that everyone should read and understand.

Now, onto the box office!

"Transformers 2" took the weekend again, barely, defeating "Ice Age 3" by a little more than $600 thousand. Yes, that sounds familiar to a few weeks ago when "The Hangover" just narrowed out "Up." Another thing the two movies have in common is they are the only films of the summer, so far, to hold onto the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks. It should also cross the $300 million mark soon, making it the first film of the year to do so.

"Public Enemies," the other new release of the week scored third with $25 million for the weekend and a total of $40 million (It came out on Wednesday.) It's budget is $100 million, so it has a lot of work to get there. It has an OK rating at Rotten Tomatoes, 65 percent and early Oscar buzz. Should help a bit, maybe.

As predicted on Friday, "The Hangover" crossed the $200 million mark making it one of the most successful movies of the year. Domestically it has made $205 million with a $35 million dollar budget.

"The Proposal" almost made it to $100 million, making a total of $94 to date. It should cross the mark by either the start of the weekend or Sunday for sure.

Another film about to cross another milestone is "Star Trek" which is within striking distance of $250 million. Another week should throw it over.

Check out the next episode of "Viewpoints On..." for more indepth coverage and a look at what's being released this week.

Let Michael rest in peace

As a longtime, loyal Michael Jackson fan I have to say I'm ready for the media coverage to move on. Without getting into the debate about how he should be remembered (I choose to honor the music) I think we can all agree that the coverage has become repetitive and more of a guessing game than solid journalism.

I know the memorial is tomorrow and that it will consume the news cycle, however, once it's over I think it's time for the media to move on.

As a fan, I'm finding it hard to deal with my emotions with the constant news coverage populating my television. I can only imagine how this must be affecting his family. As a journalist I understand the need to stay on a story this big, but at this point the media is just speculating and prolonging the grieving process.

So for the sake of Jackson's children, family, friends and fans, CNN, Access Hollywood and all the rest need to let the man rest in peace, which is all he ever wanted when he was alive.

New episode up... and some box office predicitions

OK, before we get to the episode I wanted to post some predicitions of what the box office might look like by Monday afternoon.

1. "Transformers" will overtake "Up" as the No. 1 movie of the year. Poor "Up" only had about a week at No. 1.

2. "The Hangover" will cross the $200 million mark. Most likely making it the most successful movie of the year (In terms of budget to gross ratio).

3. "The Proposal" will either cross $100 million or make it REALLY close. Hey Sandra Bullock, you're baaaaack.

Now, onto the show:

The Emmys: NPH edition

Following last year's disastrous show, in terms of both quality and ratings, The Emmys have made a move to make this year's awards, legen-wait for it-dary.

That's right, it was announced today that Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting The Emmys this year. This is a step in the right direction for show producers. I understand that they were trying to be edgier by having five different reality hosts emcee last year's awards, but we can all agree it was just bad.

Fresh off the tremendous jobs he did with The TV Land awards and The Tonys, NPH is pretty much the perfect choice. He's funny, can sing and dance and understands the job of a host is to basically keep the trains running on time while not boring the audience.

Way to go, television academy, let's hope the nominations and awards are as popular as this decision.

How long is too long?

A few days ago, Tim sent me an e-mail about Bryan Fuller leaving "Heroes," and he asked if I would still watch. My answer was I don't know.

On one hand, "Heroes" hasn't been up to par in a while, but on the other hand, I feel like I've invested so much time and energy, I have to keep watching in case it gets good again.

The more I thought about it, I realized I have the same problem with "Lost" and "Smallville." I have watched both shows since day one and while they may not be as strong as they used to be, I have to see them through to the end.

Unfortunately, this creates a backlog on my DVR and creates more shows that I have to keep up with. So my question is, how long is too long? When is it time to give up on a show and move on.

Don't get me wrong, I have no trouble giving up on shows when they go bad, but with sci-fi and serialized programs if you miss too much you'll never be able to jump back in. So it always comes back to what happens if I stop watching and the show suddenly gets good again.

While I don't see "Heroes" suddenly turning things around, there's the tiniest bit of doubt. I guess what it really comes down to is what else is on and how much DVR space I'll need.

Maybe Tim would like to share what shows he knows he should give up on but can't because he's invested too much.