TV News Today

• ABC is new with the season premiere of Supernanny tonight. Supernanny herself talks to ETOnline.com about whipping kids into shape for so many seasons.
• New York Daily News has some interesting thoughts on the tonight’s premiere of NBC‘s celebrity-genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?
• Sarah Palin is pitching a Planet Earth-like reality show about her homestate, Alaska. You know what they say: if you can’t run, make a reality show about it!
• TV veteran Martha Stewart is pitching a reality show of her own: ‘Help Me, Martha!‘ I’ll let you guess what that one’s about. Here’s a hint: it’s not a show about breaking people out of jail.
• Larry King jumps on the ‘fierce’ bandwagon. His is the show where pop culture catchphrases go to die.
• Jerry Seinfeld‘s new show The Marriage Ref is getting ‘generally unfavorable reviews.’ Apparently Seinfeld thought the statement was, “Make War, Not Love.”
• Frequent TV actress Nan Martin died today at 82 years old. She had a recurring role on The Drew Carey Show as Mrs. Louder and had guest spots on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Nip/Tuck and ER.

Call a Hospital: The Office Killed Grey’s

Last night was the first episode for new character Cecelia Marie Halpert, but it was also a first for The Office in other ways!

According to TVByTheNumbers.com:

‘THE OFFICE’ WINS ITS HOUR IN ADULTS 18-49, TOPPING A FIRST-RUN ‘GREY’S ANATOMY’ FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

The Office had 9 million viewers and Grey’s had 11.8. However, as that all-caps sentence states, The Office won in the 18-49 demographic. Which is apparently the only important demographic.

Take that, Grey’s! I never could get much into that show and I can’t believe it beats out The Office in viewers. Seriously, how many shows about good-looking doctors can you watch?

Ghost Whisperer 100th Episode

Never watched it, but apparently tonight’s new episode of the Ghost Whisperer is also the show’s 100th. Quite an accomplishment–HIMYM just recently hit that mark itself!

So what will make this episode different than the others? Apparently, the show’s star and seminal late-’90s flippy hair icon Jennifer Love Hewitt directed it.

According to TVGuide.com, in this episode:

Melinda must race against a ticking clock when a ghost tells her that a bomb has gotten into the wrong hands.

Also:

The series’ 100th episode is not only explosive because of a bomb, but because of the bomb’s aftermath, namely a major character’s death.

Uh-oh! Whose death scene was in the hands of Jennifer Love Hewitt? Talk about a double whammy!

Will you be watching?

The Office Recap: Frazzle Rock

I thought that I would be updating furtively yesterday in anticipation for Baby Halpert‘s arrival, but alas, excitement overwhelmed me and prevented me from properly articulating my thoughts. Now that the baby is born, though, I am ready to type away!

Before I get into the knitty gritty, I will paraphrase my opinion of the show in its entirety: freaking amazing. It was everything I expected and a bit more.

(B.S.–or beginning script as I call it–the two minute ad preceding the full episode on NBC.com is for NuvaRing. Perhaps this episode makes having a baby look so fun that they needed a disclaimer of some sort.)

At the very beginning, Pam and Jim are making sales calls and telling their clients about the baby. Dwight decides that it is a rogue marketing ploy and that if he ever wants to outsell Jim and Pam, he will need a baby of his own: “I need a baby. I’ll never outsell Jim and Pam without one. Also, I’ve been noticing a gaping hole in my life. Sometimes I wake up cradling a gourd.”

Cue the awesome intro. Love that theme.

Back at the office, Pam and Kevin have apparently found common ground during Pam‘s pregnancy–a love and craving for bizarre foods. Turns out Kevin is quite the gourmand, having cooked his way through Julia Child’s cookbook and currently working his way through a Twilight-themed cookbook. (Edward’s corn flake chicken. Wha??)  Random, but hilarious.

Pam is starting to having contractions, but as they’re far apart, she isn’t exactly rushing to the hospital. They’re “slow-playing” it because of their HMO. Pam only gets two nights in the hospital and she is waiting until midnight to go so she gets two full nights.

Of course, Michael starts getting involved. He notices Pam is going into labor and offers to drive them to the hospital. He also says that he has baby-proofed the office. Pam points out that the baby isn’t going to live there, to which Michael responds: “Well the baby was conceived here, so it might as well live here a little bit, too.” Jim: “That logic’s airtight, but unfortunately it wasn’t conceived here. Burning Man, porta potty.” HA!

Pam declines Micheal‘s offer, telling them all that she’s waiting until midnight. Random new IT guy Nick inserts a little joke, Michael scoffs. Has anyone noticed that new IT guy is super hot? Love the Wayfarers! Seems like he is the new Toby, though, even though Toby is still there.

Kelly discusses labor with the cameras, has done research on labor apparently: “You can poop yourself.”

Dwight approaches Angela in the breakroom and asks her to bear his child. Apparently he wants one for business reasons and wants her to be the mother. She silently agrees. Dwight: “Let’s meet at 4 p.m. at our old meeting spot and bang it out.” Whhaaa?

Pam having contractions at 7 minutes apart. Jim wants to go to the hospital, Pam wants to wait. Jim talks to the cameras…seems a bit nervous.

Pam‘s contractions are starting to bother her. Jim REALLY wants her to go to the hospital. Andy advises them to not get too hung up on baby names–funny, but sad. Ha. Jim still wants Pam to go to the hospital. Pam wants to be distracted. Michael calls a meeting in the conference room. He is the master of distraction apparently. And people say Michael is not self-aware.

In the conference room, Michael issues a call for distractions. Pam‘s contractions are getting more intense. Kelly: Pam, you are a woman warrior. Aw. Never really see much interaction between those two, so that was nice.

So it’s a veritable Office talent show in the conference room. Andy volunteers his skill to offer distraction: his rendition of The Evolution of Dance Dance. Ryan reads a hipster douchebag poem and Erin says random words. Not working much for Pam and Jim, though.

Elsewhere, in the warehouse, Angela meets Dwight to “bang it out.” However, turns out that meant banging out a parenting contract. Dwight reads his provisions–or Morpheus, I should say, as he calls himself in his provisions.

In the conference room, Pam‘s contractions are six minutes apart. Pam still won’t go, so Michael suggests ways to discourage labor. One way to quicken labor is to stimulate the nipples, so of course they want to try otherwise. Thank goodness Meredith has a shirt in her car with the boobs cut out! Jim loses his cool and insists that Pam goes to the hospital. Pam says for him to go do some work so that he can un-frazzle himself. He hates being frazzled and even using that word. Ha–cute moment in the conference room with the rest of the gang discussing Jim‘s frazzledness. Love it.

However, in the hallway, Jim continues being frazzled, throwing around baby books. Totally cute. A rare moment of Jim losing his cool.

In the warehouse, Dwight and Angela discuss baby names. (None of which are to come from Star Trek). Dwight also tells her that it is in the contract that she must have a boy. How exactly does that work?

Pam goes out in the parking lot to visit Jim, who is sitting in their car. She won’t get in, because she knows Jim will try to drive them to hospital. Pam reassures Jim: “Okay, Jim, everything’s fine, you don’t have to worry, she’s not coming out for awhile.” Jim and Pam are having a daughter!!! Jim is momentarily distracted from his worry until he notices that Pam is wearing a different outfit. Pam: Oh yeah, my water broke.

In the office, Michael tries to persuade her to go to the hospital but Pam still wants to partake in UltraFeast with Kevin. UltraFeast consists of movie themed dishes, how cute. (Except for the one based on the prawn cake from District 9). Pam‘s contractions are getting worse as Jim, Michael and Kevin surround her. She still refuses to go to the hospital, but she breaks down and admits why she is reluctant: she is scared. Aw. The guys comfort her. But uh oh, turns out her contractions are two minutes apart. Time for them to get to the hospital!

Dwight of course needs to drive in front of them to avert traffic, but he gets pulled over for using a red flashy light and impersonating a cop. It was worth it though, since he loves ‘escorting’ people–he even put out an ad in the paper a few years ago, HA! Michael is texting while driving and Pam realizes they forgot her Ipod which had the birthing song on it. Michael calls Dwight and tells him to go to their house and get it. Dwight says he doesn’t need a key. Yup, you know where that’s going.

Pam is finally at the hospital. Michael parks in an Ambulance Only spot and someone tells him he can’t park there. He throws his keys–“I just did.” Totally sweet. End of the Part 1 Episode.

Part 2 starts…Jim tells the camera that Pam is fully dilated and fully faced. Still frazzled. A nurse comes out to tell him, “Daddy, she’s ready to push.” Baby Halpert is coming!

Michael walks in with a bunch of pink balloons: “Where’s my little niblet?” Michael opens the door to the delivery room. Pam screaming, Jim urging her to push…EEEK. Michael scarred: “I’m going to go wash my eyes. That kid’s gonna have a lot of hair.” EW!

Rest of the office is there, even though its supposed to be awhile later. Aw, sweet. Phyllis doesn’t want to wait, though. Michael: Phyllis, what could you possibly have to do? Phyllis: I have an ice cream cake in my car. Michael: Ohmigod, go go go! Are you insane? Classic.

Michael goes back to the delivery room to ask for an ETA. Pam still screaming–Jim: Ohmigod. Look at her. Babe, she’s so beautiful. Baby Halpert has arrived! Michael lights a cigar…in a hospital.

First scene with Jim, Pam and the baby. 🙂

Jim comes out into the waiting room: Cecelia Marie Halpert is the newest member of the gang. They rejoice.

In the room, Pam‘s mom is there. Cecelia made a poopy and Jim boasts about his diapering skills. Michael comes in…awkward moment between her and Michael. I can’t believe they ever dated!

Michael holds Cecelia for the first time. He tries to get her to say his name. Jim: That’s so weird, she was saying it just before you got here. Michael endearingly believes him, aw.

At Jim and Pam‘s house…Dwight is still there. He couldn’t find her Ipod, but he did find mold. Reason enough to stay over and make himself at home!

At the office, Michael tells the story of Jim and Pam‘s courtship. Michael takes credit for their relationship and offers to play matchmaker for the rest. Turns out Meredith‘s single: “I am never getting married. Like Clooney.” Hahahaha.

Andy tells the camera that he is going to ask out Erin. Soon enough.

At the hospital, Jim and Pam want their baby to stay with them for the night. Cut to scene of them trying to diaper her while she cries and Pam trying to breastfeed her. Jim tries to give her advice, because he knows so much about doing that, apparently… They ask a nurse about breastfeeding…the nurse wants to take the baby to the nursery and give her a bottle, but Pam is reluctant. She lets her baby go, though: “Maybe it will be good so she can socialize with the other babies.” Don’t worry, Jim thought she was joking, too.

At the office, Michael tells Erin that he is going to change her life. Kevin pops out from behind the door–ta da! New boyfriend. Michael suggests they get to know each other. Erin tells Michael privately that she likes Andy. Michael persuades her to give Kevin a try–it would kill him, otherwise. Turns out heartbreak greatly affects people who are recipients of elephant heart transplants.

At the hospital, Jim and Pam get paired up in a room with another couple who just had a baby. However, that mother’s baby latches on to her nipples quickly. Jim and Pam look on in envy.

At Jim and Pam‘s house, Dwight acts a fool. ‘Nuff said.

At the office, Erin has lunch with Kevin. Andy spies on them.

At the hospital, a lactation consultant goes to see Jim and Pam. It’s a dude. Jim is like, whaaa? Whoooa, quintessential awkward scene on The Office—Jim watching as another guy flicks Pam‘s nipple. What a beautful…ly awkward moment.

At the office, Angela calls Dwight. Contract’s completed. Time for some baby-making apparently.

At the hospital, it’s night, Pam and Jim are asleep and the baby cries. Pam breastfeeds her…aw, the baby latches to her nipple this time. Sweet moment of tired celebration for Jim and Pam. They’re doing it!

At the office…Erin tries to let Kevin down gently. Michael helps it along, telling Kevin that he should have known he could never get Erin. Kevin gets upset. They compare who they’ve dated and who’s hotter. Ha and aw.

At the hospital, Isabelle, from the wedding, comes to visit the baby. Pam goes to burp the baby–UH OH. SHE WAS BREASTFEEDING THE OTHER WOMAN’S BABY! Wow. The awkwardness just keeps on comin’.

Later…the nurse comes to pressure Jim and Pam to leave. They have 25 minutes.

At Jim and Pam‘s, Isabelle goes to drop something off, finds Dwight. Remember their hookup? They make small talk. He tells her he’ll come by for a teeth cleaning and says he’ll call her. Whoa…flirtation?

Jim and Pam leaving hospital.

At the office, Andy asks Erin to send a fax. The fax is asking Erin out and he is sending it to the office fax number. It’s busy, of course. Andy says he’ll stay until she sends it and says she is fired if she doesn’t send it immediately. Erin starts crying. Andy says he’s asking her out. Aw–she says that’s amazing. She needs to fax it and she’ll check her planner. They have a date, finally!

In the hospital parking lot, the nurse pressures Pam up out of the wheelchair. Cecelia is crying so Pam breastfeeds her–she finally latched on herself. Jim pulls up. They’re doing it as parents.

Back at the office, Michael says: “There’s no greater feeling than when two people who are perfect for each other overcome all obstacles and find true love.” He’s saying it about what he thought would happen with Erin and Kevin, but we all know who he really means.

At Jim and Pam‘s house, Angela is meeting Dwight and they’re asking each other for two forms of ID. However, Dwight changes his mind, either about Angela or the idea. Mmm…

Jim and Pam come home to find Dwight, Angela and a house of disasters. They just walk off…now that they’re parents, they can handle anything.

Welcome to the office, Cecelia Marie Halpert.

What to Watch Tonight: Friday, March 5, 2010

• ABC has new episodes of Super Nanny and 20/20
• CBS has new episodes of The Ghost Whisperer, Medium and N3MBERS; The Late Show with David Letterman will host guests Matt Damon and Corinne Bailey Rae.
• NBC has the series premiere of Who Do You Think You Are?(!) and a new Dateline NBC; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno will host guests Morgan Freeman and Meredith Vieira, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will host guests Mike Myers, Matt Lucas, and Joanna Newsom and Last Call with Carson Daly will host guests Arctic Monkeys
• E! has  the movie Bring It On: All or Nothing
• USA has the movie Children of Men
• TNT has The Green Mile and Ladder 49
  
• AMC has movies Dancing with Wolves and The Silence of the Lambs
• FX has American History X, The 25th Hour and Aliens Vs. Predators
  
• Lifetime Movie Network has the Pick-A-Flick movie
  

(! indicates that I plan to watch and will update about tomorrow)

Bollocks is one tonight. More time to watch some movies. Joining Netflix has made me realize how many awesome movies I haven’t seen.

What to Watch Tonight: Thursday, March 4, 2010

• ABC has new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice; Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC will host guests Queen Latifah and Jake Pavelka
• CBS has new episodes of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, CSI, and The Mentalist; The Late Show with David Letterman will host guests Tom Hanks, Spoon, and Barbara Walters.
• Fox has a new episodes of American Idol and Kitchen Nightmares
• NBC has new episodes of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Offic(!!!!!!) and The Marriage Ref(!); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno will host guests Matthew McConaughey and Jason Reitman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will host guests Zach Galifianakis and Mia Wasikowska and Last Call with Carson Daly will host guest Lee Daniels
• The CW has repeats of Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
• MTV has new episodes of America’s Best Dance Crew and Taking the Stage
• VH1 has a new episode of Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew
• Comedy Central has new episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report and the movie Office Space
  
• Bravo has a the season finale of Real Housewives of Orange County and the season premiere of Real Housewives of New York City
• USA has a new episode of Burn Notice and the movie The Bourne Ultimatum
  
• TBS has a new episode of Lopez Tonight with guests Shaun White, Seann William Scott, and Andrew Dice Clay and the movie Sleepy Hollow
• ABC Family has the movie Happy Feet
• FX has the movies The Italian Job
• AMC has movies Starsky and Hutch, the Terminator, and Fight Club
• TCM has movies The Postman Always Rings Twice and All the President’s Men

(! indicates that I plan to watch and will update about tomorrow)

Tonight is a pretty damn good night for new TV and movies on TV, if I must say so myself. The Office will of course take precedence over everything else as Pam is expecting Baby Halpert tonight, but I might tune into The Marriage Ref if I can manage to see the screen through the tears of joy I will surely be crying after The Office.

Also, I’ve never seen Tim Burton‘s Sleepy Hollow on TV before. That was my 12-year-old’s self favorite movie, so it definitely tempting. And since All the President’s Men is at 11 p.m, I might consider falling asleep to Woodward and Bernstein. What not-s0-little early20something girl doesn’t want to fall asleep with dreams of political scandals and double bylines floating in her head?

What will you be watching?

Parenthood Recap: Freezer Sperm

The ratings are out. Last night’s series premiere of Ron Howard‘s Parenthood won it’s time slot with 8.23 million viewers and, according to TheWrap.com, it “averaged a 3.1 rating/9 share in adults 18-49” and “held on to 94 percent of its lead-in (the 9:30 p.m. half-hour of The Biggest Loser, which averaged a 3.3) and maintained its viewership at the 10:30 p.m. half-hour.” So all in all, pretty good according to the numbers.

But how about the actual watchers?

At the center of Parenthood are four adult siblings, the Braverman siblings, Sarah (Lauren Graham), Adam (Peter Krause), Julia (Erika Christensen) and Crosby (Dax Shepard). And, definitely correct me if I am wrong on this, but it seems like the entire family, including the siblings’ parents (Zeke and Camille, portrayed by Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia), all live either in the same house or pretty damn close to each other.

Well, we know for a fact that Sarah, Graham‘s character, does in fact live with her parents. She is moving back into the family home with her own two children after divorcing her husband, a deadbeat rockstar with an alleged drug addiction, and running out of money. Her kids are not happy. Amber (played by the delectable Mae Whitman) at first refuses to move and plans to move in with her shirtless tattooed boyfriend. (I would watch that spinoff.) Even though Sarah eventually gets her to go, things doesn’t go much better for the troubled teen. She and Adam‘s daughter, her cousin Haddie (Sarah Ramos) get arrested for something involving pot and Sarah is disappointed. However, they do have a somewhat sweet mother-daughter moment as Sarah prepares for a date and Amber coaches her on how to look sluttier.

Of course, there was a corresponding mother-son moment as well, after Drew walks in on Sarah and her date drinking booze after presumably having sex. (Cue the promo’s “I am so dead” moment.) He later runs away to his deadbeat dad’s, and Sarah and he have a cute moment in a gas station parking lot after she goes to get him. She tells him she’ll always be there and that will just have to be enough. They hug. Viewers cry.

You’ve probably picked up by now that Sarah is divorced (or at least in the process of becoming divorced) and is back on the singles market. Her sister Julia (Christensen, who we will get to later) sets her up with a guy she used to do who was apparently a dreamboat at the time. However, she discovers upon meeting him for their date that he isn’t so much the dreamboat anymore. Still, the guy wins her over after revealing that he had kept a ring he had given her that she threw at him while they were breaking up all those years ago. It seems like Sarah is finally on the path to dating good guys who will treat her well, rather than drug addicted ugos. (Her date also reveals that he had a poem published by the New Yorker, so I automatically liked him!)

Sarah was set up with the poet by her sister Julia, and the tension is obvious between the polar opposite siblings. Julia is married with a daughter of her own, but is also a workaholic who is always on the phone with her law firm. She senses that her adorable daughter Sydney (Savannah Paige Ray) likes her husband better than her and she may be right. All throughout the episode, Sydney constantly asks for her father whenever Julia attempts to act motherly towards the child. What’s more, it seems like Julia is resigned to her child’s preference for her husband, at least for now. However, at Sydney‘s recital, Julia tears up and smiles proudly. She will hopefully be able to bridge the gap between being a provider and a caregiver.

Crosby (Shepard) is the only sibling who seemingly has no children and that’s apparently the way he wants it to stay. Crosby‘s girlfriend, however, wants a baby and soon. So soon that she even has a container of frozen sperm in her refrigerator, which Crosby finds at the beginning of the episode. He later confronts her about it and kind of sort of agrees to have a baby with her in three years. He then tells Adam that he is kind of engaged, but asks if it is still okay to go see a stripper ex-girlfriend who is chatting him up on the interwebs? He does, of course, but surprise surprise…his ex Jasmine (played by Joy Bryant) has a son named Jabbar and it’s his! He went from being a reluctant future daddy to someone’s current baby daddy in less than sixty minutes.

I began the recap with info about the three other Braverman siblings, but it seems like the show centers somewhat around Adam (Krause), his wife Kristina (Monica Potter) and their son Max (Max Burkholder). Adam coaches Max‘s little league team and is disappointed to find that Max doesn’t have the passion for baseball that he did as a kid. Max still manages to make a hit at the game, but gets out at first base. Adam determines that is a bad call and gets into an argument with the umpire, foreshadowing the drama that will ensue.

All throughout the episode, the viewers are given hints that Max is different–he wears a pirate costume to school, throws tantrums and doesn’t respond socially to his classmates. After getting in trouble for biting another kid, the school recommends that Adam and Kristina have Max tested. Well they do, and it turns out that Max might has Asperger’s Syndrome. Kristina had accepted throughout the episode that there was likely a problem with their son, but it takes awhile to sink in for Adam. In a touching moment with his own father, Adam reveals Max‘s illness and they all resign to get through it together.

However, the episode ends on a high note for the family. On the day of his next game, Max reveals that he wants to be there, for his team, and the entire Braverman family rushes to watch the boy play, foreshadowing both hope and conflict for this little show about a big family.

So what is Parenthood all about? It’s about three generations of one family: two parents who have four kids who between them have six kids. (If this revival of Parenthood doesn’t work out, Howard should try it again in another twenty years, this time with the six kids having eight kids of their own! Two, four, six, eight, the Bravermans known how to procreate!) Each little family inside the big family has their own conflict, from a child’s mental handicap to an adult’s revelation of paternity. But of course, love and family will get them through, as they seem to be tighter than the Walton’s, just without the annoying goodnight ceremony.

Will I watch again? Yes. Though I felt they packed too much conflict into the first episode (Crosby finding out about an unknown child pushed me over the edge), the previews definitely look promising. However, I am wary of Sarah dating one of her kid’s teachers. Can anyone say Gilmore Girls Season One rip off?

Pilot Grade: B. It was above average, but not above average enough to keep me from clicking over to MTV‘s 16 and Pregnant during the commercials. (An indicator of a really good television show is one that keeps you on that channel even when commercials are on. I dare not click over to anything else during HIMYM). However, the previews did show promise, with future conflict hopefully being handled throughout an arc of episodes, rather than jammed into a value pack of family drama. Also, the cast is surprisingly excellent. I was pleasantly surprised by Graham, who I haven’t seen in anything since The Gilmore Girls, and flabbergasted by Dax Shepard, who usually plays a douchey egomaniac. True, he still seems a bit douchey, but with an pinch of sweetness that makes him surprisingly bearable.

Predictions: I could see it being a minor hit or a major flop.

What did YOU think?

What to Watch Tonight: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

• ABC has new episodes of The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town and an Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special; Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC will host guests Ethan Hawke and Jet
• CBS has new episodes of New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI:NY; The Late Show with David Letterman will host guests Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Brokaw.
• Fox has a new episode of American Idol
• NBC has new episodes of Mercy and Law and Order: SVU; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno will host guests Chelsea Handler, Apolo Anton Ono and Avril Lavigne, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will host guests Barbara Walters, Regina King and Erykah Badu and Last Call with Carson Daly will host guest Jeremy Renner
• The CW has repeats of Life Unexpected and Gossip Girl
• MTV has a new episode of The Real World: DC(!)
• VH1 has repeats of Best of I Love the ’90s and Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp
• Comedy Central has new episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report
• Bravo has a new episode of Shear Genius
• USA has a new episode of Psych
• TBS has a new episode of Lopez Tonight with guests Mario Lopez and T-Pain
• FX has the movies Man on Fire and the Italian Job
• AMC has movies Starsky and Hutch, the Terminator, and Fight Club 
• TCM has the movies Oklahoma, Cool Hand Luke, and Alien

(! indicates that I plan to watch and will update about tomorrow)

Even since Glee went on hiatus, my Wednesday nights have been sad. Seriously, when all you watch is The Real World, you know you need to get a real life.

That being said, I have decided to apply to the Real World!

What About: Parenthood

Parenthood, a new series from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, premieres tonight at 10 p.m. EST after The Biggest Loser. Does that automatically make it the biggest winner?

Da dum cha.

In all seriousness, Parenthood is one of the more awaited premieres of a new series this season. And how could it not be? It has a slew of big name stars attached to it, including Lauren Graham, who played one of television’s most famous mothers in The Gilmore Girls, and Dax Shepard, who is careening off the fame brought to him by starring in such lackluster comedies as Baby Mama and When in Rome and being engaged to cutie Kristen Bell. It also stars Erika Christensen (A.K.A. the creepy chick from Swimfan), Monica Potter (Patch Adams‘ girlfriend) and Mae Whitman (most well-known as Ann Veal in Arrested Development, but also  star of the deliriously cute State of Grace back in the day).

The show was supposed to premiere with the Fall lineup of new shows, but was pushed back to tonight’s mid-season premiere due to then star’s Maura Tierney being treated for breast cancer. She eventually dropped out altogether and was replaced by  Graham.

You’ve probably heard the title before. Howard and Grazer respectively directed and produced a 1989 film of the same name starring Steve Martin and Howard even brought the film to the small screen once before in 1990. Though canceled after only 12 episodes due to low ratings, the show had many now-famous stars attached to it, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Joss Whedon and Thora Birch.

According to BuzzSugar.com, one of my favorite entertainment blogs, the show is about:

The four grown Braverman siblings and each of their children, significant others, and issues. Graham plays Sarah, a struggling single mother to two rebelling teens who finds herself having to move back in with her parents in Berkeley. Conveniently, the rest of the family also lives there: older brother Adam (Peter Krause), whose son may have Asperger’s Syndrome, younger sister Julia (Erika Christensen), a career woman who’s worried about bonding with her young daughter, and delightfully immature Crosby (Dax Shepard), whose girlfriend is ready to have a baby, with or without him.

I won’t lie, I have never seen the 1989 film, so I have no idea if the film and the show premiering tonight are in any way, shape or form connected other than being a similar concept directed by the same man. I am also curious as to how this idea got picked up a second time after already failing miserably once. Me thinks it has something to do with the new show having been adapted by Friday Night Lights creator Jason Katims. That show is well-received by audiences and critics alike, so perhaps they are hoping that his talent and reputation combined with Howard and Grazer‘s talent and reputation combined with keyword celebs such as Graham and Shephard will surely bring the numbers.

Whadya think?

Will you be watching?

Edited to add: The pilot for the 1990 T.V. version of Parenthood is available on YouTube here.

What to Watch Tonight: Tuesday, March 2, 2010

• ABC has new episodes of Lost and 20/20; Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC will host guests Anne Hathaway, Jesse Williams and Tom Colicchio
  
• CBS has new episodes of NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife; The Late Show with David Letterman will host guests Mitt Romney and Mia Wasikowska
• Fox has a new episode of American Idol
• NBC has a new episode of the Biggest Loser: Couples and the series premiere of Parenthood(!); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno will host guests Sarah Palin and Shaun White, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will host Wesley Snipes, Emilie de Ravin, and Ludacris and Last Call with Carson Daly will host Giovanni Ribisi and Phoenix
• The CW has repeats of 90210 and Melrose Place
• MTV has a new episode of 16 and Pregnant(!)
• VH1 has repeats of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Tool Academy 3
• Comedy Central has new episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report
• Bravo has a new episode of the Millionaire Matchmaker
• TNT has the season premiere of Southland
• USA has a new episode of White Collar
• TBS has a new episode of Lopez Tonight with guests Tracey Ullman and Bret Michaels

(! indicates that I plan to watch and will update about tomorrow)

Parenthood looks worthy and of course I will not be missing 16 and Pregnant. Every thing else is meh: I’m lost on Lost and why watch The Good Wife when Tiger Woods already dominates the airwaves?

Late night seems to be all about Alice in Wonderland and failed former Republican candidates.