Tag Archive for 'TV'

Updated: New Plans for Keith Olbermann?

By: Max Turnier, February 8, 2011 in Celebrities and News. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann, former host of the show “Countdown” on MSNBC,  is known for his lofty monologues and witty criticisms. All in all, he ran a good show from March 2003 to January 2011. MSNBC and Olbermann parted ways when word spread that Olbermann had made political contributions to candidates in Kentucky and Arizona.

Not one month later, speculations are rampant that Olbermann may sign on with Current TV, the New York Times reports. Current TV is a peer-to-peer style network led by former Vice President Al Gore that encourages users to share their stories through an online interface.

This is a move that could boost the network’s profile which presently serves roughly 60 million homes. It wouldn’t be the first time a big network name went to alternative media. Dan Rather left the CBS Evening News in 2006 amid editorial controversy and went on to host his own one-hour show on HDNet called “Dan Rather Reports.”

Keith Olbermann is expected to make an official announcement of his plans sometime today.

***Update***

In Keith Olbermann’s Twitter feed, he announced the following:

@KeithOlbermann

Keith Olbermann
KeithOlbermann Keith Olbermann
Greetings from Keith Olbermann, Chief News Officer of Current Media! And awayyyyyy we go! 

Who’s Dumb Enough To Announce A New Product Today?

By: Sam, June 7, 2010 in News, Television and Video Games. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
A Spanish-language Apple Press Release

PR people: unless your press release looks a lot like this one, it's unlikely to attract much attention today.

It’s not a huge secret, that later today, at precisely 10am pacific time (12pm central!) Apple CEO Steve Jobs will take to the stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and announce, at the very least, a new iPhone (see our super-accurate predictions here and check back tomorrow for our scorecard). To say this announcement will dominate the tech/gadget news cycle is an understatement. If there are any surprises-and given we’re talking about Apple here, there likely will be-you can expect to see coverage all over more mainstream outlets like CNN and The New York Times. So, given that all of this information has been around for at least a few months, if you were thinking about announcing some kind of consumer electronic or mobile phone product or service, you’d probably try to steer clear of today. Well, you’d think that, but in a few cases, you’d be wrong. Though the numbers are few, we’ve been watching the press release wires and are pleased to present the following products and/or services that have the misfortune of launching/being announced on the same day as a new iPhone:

SANYO Ultra Short-Focus 3D Ready Projectors
First up today are the fine folks at SANYO (yes, they insist on writing it in all caps), who are unveiling not one, but two new projectors. These projectors are exciting for two reasons; first, they’re “ultra short-focus,” meaning they can project 80-inch images onto a screen from just over a foot away; second, they’re ready to accept 3D inputs, meaning they’re perfect for that big Avatar screening you’re planning on having whenever it’s actually available in 3D. Pricing info and availability aren’t available yet, so don’t hold your breath. If you want a projector and want one now, check out our impressive array of projector reviews and information. If you’re dying for more info on the projectors mentioned above, you should hit up the SANYO web site.

Verizon Wireless V CAST for Android Phones
For a while now, Verizon has offered a $10 per month streaming TV service called V CAST (yes, they insist on writing it in all caps too), which features a bunch of on-demand programs from the likes of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox as well as cable stalwarts like ESPN, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. The service also features live sporting events from the NHL. As of today the service is available to Verizon subscribers with Android phones. Though we understand why Verizon needs to roll this out now (V CAST will include Univision’s live streams of  2010 World Cup games, which start on June 11), couldn’t they have done this last week, or even Thursday the 10th? Announcing this now practically ensures no one will hear about it.

Dungeon Siege 3
Apparently those in the know knew this was in the works, but today Square Enix and Obsidian Entertainment announced they were working on Dungeon Siege 3 under the supervision of Gas Powered Games, the original developer. While this doesn’t quite overlap as directly with Apple news as the stuff above might, recent Apple product announcements (like the iPad) have focused extensively on the games and gaming possibilites of new devices, and games are clearly something Apple hopes to dominate, so we’re betting they’ll be a very large amount of gaming press coverage today for whatever Steve Jobs decides to show off. This large amount of coverage though, of course means that other gaming news, like a new Dungeon Siege, falls through the cracks.

In conclusion, PR people of the world, make a note of whenever Apple’s holding any kind of announcement. Then make sure that you don’t announce anything on that day if you can possibly avoid it. In the meantime feel free to tell us how to do our jobs in the comments. It’s only fair.

Law & Order: RIP

By: Sam, May 14, 2010 in Television. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
The cast of NBC's "Law & Order" poses in an official an authoritative manner.

Law & Order is dead! Long live Law & Order (SVU, Criminal Intent and now Los Angeles)!

One of the best things about Law & Order, aside from the fact that each and every episode is neatly self-contained, is that on very rare occasions, the team at the New York DA’s office loses the case. The series has used the occiasional courtroom loss sparingly but effectively over the years and by our calculations, the small degree of uncertainty this brings to any given episode of the show was good for at least five extra seasons Law & Order. We say “was” because earlier today, NBC announced that the current (20th!) season of Law & Order will be the last. Even worse, there won’t be a real series finale since NBC didn’t decide to cancel the show until after the last episode had already been shot.

While it’s sad that one of TV’s most consistently ok-but-not-great shows will be going away, don’t weep for the millions of dollars producer Dick Wolf and star Sam Waterston stand to make off of the endless stream of syndicated Law & Order reruns (yes, we’re looking at you, TNT). Although Wolf won’t have the pleasure of knocking off Gunsmoke as the longest running TV drama, Law & Order will tie the western at 20 seasons on the air. (So close, Dick Wolf. So close!) Of course the TV landscape will hardly be devoid of Law & Order shows, with Law & Order: SVU (aka “The Rape Show” aka “L&O: Disturbing Crimes Unit”) returning to NBC and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (now with even less Vincent D’Onofrio!) still runs on USA. Even better, this fall don’t miss the premiere of Law & Order: Los Angeles on NBC! (Seriously. This is completely real.) Sam Waterston’s not out in the cold either. Even if his TD Ameritrade endorsement deal ends, he’ll always be the face of Old Glory Insurance, at least until the metal ones decide to come for him. And they will.

Lindsay Lohan vs. E-Trade Baby: Fight!

By: Sam, March 9, 2010 in Television. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

When we heard that someone was suing E-Trade over one of their talking baby commercials, our first thought was “Wow, it took the Baby Bob guys long enough!” However, as bitter as Baby Bob creator and executive producer Michael Saltzman must be over the ads, we were way off.

The plaintiff is none other than Ms. Lindsay Lohan, noted celebrity, who alleges that E-Trade’s Super Bowl ad uses her “name and characterization” without her permission. Clearly, members of the impressionable public have been assuming that the “milkaholic” baby named Lindsay who appears in the last few seconds of the spot is Ms. Lohan… Wait. Why would anyone assume that? Because they have the same first name?

(Just to make sure we’re not missing some vital legal point, we called a lawyer friend who laughed his way to a very fast “No” when asked if Lohan had a case.)

Is Lindsay really this desperate for the spotlight or this hard up for cash? If she really wants to cash in on the whole talking-baby-likeness thing, she should probably be angling for a spot alongside John Travolta in the next Look Who’s Talking sequel.

TiVo "Announcement" Takes Early Lead for Disappointment of the Year

By: Sam, March 2, 2010 in Technology and Television. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
It's a sad time for TiVo owners- Christmas was cancelled.

The TiVo mascot weeps for the future.

What’s the opposite of “Wow?” We’re not sure, but whatever it is, it basically sums up our reaction to tonight’s much-hyped TiVo announcement in New York. Even the involvement of 30 Rock‘s Jack McBrayer (in an incredibly hokey part that seems like it fell quite flat) couldn’t save the event from an overwhelming feeling of disappointment.

Let’s cut to the chase: As we pretty much already knew, TiVo unveiled two new DVRs, the TiVo Premiere and Premiere XL (the XL has a bigger hard drive and THX certification). What’s new with these guys? Not a whole lot- they lose the phone jack found on previous models, and a faster processor allows them to run a swanky, flash-based HD interface that’s slicker than what the current Series 3 models sport. Yes, it has lots of long-missing features like a capacity meter and an IMDB-like search function that lets you look for actors and actresses across TV shows, movies, Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand. That’s about it though.

Really. No new place-shifting capabilities, no SDV support, not even built in wireless. (There is a new wireless-N dongle they’re hawking for $90, though!) Aside from the new search functions and a vague promise of Pandora integration at some point, it doesn’t do a whole lot that current Series 3 models don’t. Even worse, the new interface, which was beta tested on Series 3 models over a year ago won’t be available for older units.

The only thing remotely interesting announced at the event turned out to be TiVo’s optional new remote with a slide-out qwerty keyboard, not surprisingly though, there’s a catch, which is that using the keyboard requires a dongle. Seriously. They couldn’t even build in a bluetooth receiver.

This whole thing is such an all-around fail that we’re not even going to grade our predictions from yesterday. TiVo may have invented the DVR, but they’re clearly struggling these days, and unfortunately show no signs of recovering.

TV is Back!

By: Sam, March 1, 2010 in Sports and Television. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
It's not your father's programming, but it may be your grandfather's television.

New shows make even the oldest telvisions feel new again.

The Olympics left Vancouver with a bang last night, and although the US hockey gold medal drought continued, a drought of another sort comes to an end tonight, with the long-awaited return of new episodes of your favorite TV shows. It’s been over two weeks without them, and really, especially at this time of year, that’s just too long.

Luckily, tonight TV returns with a vengeance, with new episodes of 24, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother and Lindsey Vonn’s favorite, Law & Order. Don’t worry reality fans-you’re not forgotten-tonight also marks the season finale of The Bachelor, too.

With all these shows coming back (and this is just Monday!) maybe it’s time to think about that TiVo, but if you can wait a few days, you may want to hold off, as they’ve got a big announcement planned for tomorrow. (Quick predictions: new HD interface, new models with SDV support, greatly enhanced place-shifting capabilities. Check back tomorrow for our scorecard.)