Friday, January 30, 2009

Good housekeeping

Four bits of blog-related business, tied to "Friday Night Lights," "Battlestar Galactica," "Chuck" and "Scrubs":

• As I mention every Friday, I'm re-posting the original versions of my "Friday Night Lights" reviews from the DirecTV run to retain the comments, which means that the reviews won't ping anyone's RSS reader. So if you follow the blog that way, you need to click here to read the review of episode three, "How the Other Half Lives."

• I'm not getting "Battlestar Galactica" episodes in advance anymore. As I discussed on this week's "Lost" review, I'm faced with the choice of getting something done quick or doing it right, and I'm choosing the latter. So don't expect a review until sometime tomorrow at the earliest. Do not use this post or any other to discuss tonight's episode.

• If you're attending the New York Comic-Con next weekend (Feb. 6-8), I'm going to be moderating the "Chuck" panel -- featuring Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak and Yvonne Strahovski -- on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. Originally, it was just going to be Schwartz and Fedak, which would have been incredibly nerdy. I'd say Yvonne Strahovski significantly lowers the overall nerd factor, but you never know -- she could turn up espousing the genius of Zot! or John Byrne or something. If anything interesting comes up, I'll include a mini-report in my review of the Feb. 9 episode of "Chuck."

• I was told earlier this week that ABC's plan for "Scrubs" was to air repeats of this season's first six episodes from now until the show moves to a new timeslot on Wednesdays in mid-March. I'm guessing somebody did the math and realized there would be too many remaining episodes to air them all between March 18 and the end of the season, because now I'm told there will continue to be back-to-back originals on Tuesdays for at least the next two weeks.

29 comments:

  1. I wish I could be there at the Chuck panel, if just to stand there and drool over YS. Any chance you can take pictures and have someone record it to post online? ;)

    I've got to catch up on BSG. For some reason, I've put off watching the first 2, now 3, episodes of the new season.

    Good news about Scrubs. I was wondering about the math too, but figured I was wrong.

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  2. Waiting until tomorrow to discuss BSG is going to kill me. Isn't there a way to have an open thread and then add the review later?

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  3. Damn you Alan, and your inability to watch the episodes ahead of time and provide us with prompt recaps the minute each episode airs!

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  4. I don't care how boring the Chuck panel might turn out to be, report anyways, please? Better yet, provide videos from the panel like E! Kristin Do Santos did and you'll be a hero! HEE. :D

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  5. Nuts--I've got Grammys coverage all day. I would have loved to see the Chuck panel. Stupid job getting in the way of TV fun. No TV makes Steve something something.

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  6. Since your post has a picture of four women, I would like to add one who's work has been phenomenal during the past year or so. Maggie Siff (Mad Men/Sons of Anarchy) did a great job in Life on Mars this week.

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  7. Espousing the brilliance of John Byrne is a good way of being spotted as a nerd ringer.

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  8. Holy frak!

    Must... resist... commenting... on BSG...

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  9. I really have no words for being anywhere near Yvonne Strahovski. When I discovered the accent, she somehow became more attractive.

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  10. Oh, and the show is great. I've been really surprised recently to hear it's in the same conversation with FNL, etc. in terms of problems with getting picked up. I'd have thought it had a much wider audience, but I guess I was wrong

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  11. Just chiming in from Australia here - our local SciFi channel which has so far only screened seasons 1 and 2 of BSG (due to a rights issue with one of the broadcast networks) today had a marathon of the fourth season's first 12 eps from 11am and then showed The Oath at 9pm just now - every week well then get the ep hours after you guys - which is cool as!

    BTW ep is awesome! Can't wait 2 read your review

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  12. Alan, while I applaud your decision to give us the BEST review instead of the FASTEST review of BSG, you have to know it is killing me not to be able to go immediately to your insights on this frakkin' amazing episode...

    I don't think I breathed for the entire last half hour.

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  13. Cool news on the panel moderation for Chuck! Hopefully you can get a read from them on where the series stands in terms of renewal.

    Look forward to your posting about it and like others have said - hope that video of it shows up too.

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  14. Oh, man, now I wish I'd planned to go to NYCC. Drool over YS for us!

    BTW, my RSS readers (FeedDemon, NetNewsWire) are actually both getting the reposted FNL threads just fine. Both readers were made by NewsGator, if that helps.

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  15. John Byrne? Zot? Really now...I hadn't really picked up on the fact that you were a comics fanboy 'til now--maybe I've been dozing.

    Sorry I'll miss you at the show--I'm flying into NYC the Monday after. I'm a huge fan of the blog and the column--and have steered people from around the world to it.

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  16. I don't have the time or the equipment -- and maybe not the legal rights -- to record the Comic Con panel, but I wouldn't be stunned if video from it showed up elsewhere, maybe on NBC's own site. (They had San Diego Comic-Con clips up in the summer, as I recall.)

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  17. Hopefully you can get a read from them on where the series stands in terms of renewal.

    I can ask, but they have an only slightly better read than I do. Things at NBC are too unsettled for anyone to know anything.

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  18. John Byrne? Zot? Really now...I hadn't really picked up on the fact that you were a comics fanboy 'til now--maybe I've been dozing.

    Every now and then I'll drop in an Astro City reference or something. My review of the "Lost" season premiere had me comparing what's happening to the island to the powers of Guardian from Alpha Flight. So I'm not hiding it, but it only comes up in vaguely appropriate circumstances.

    And since we're talking fanboys, are you the "American Flagg" Howard Chaykin?

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  19. BTW, my RSS readers (FeedDemon, NetNewsWire) are actually both getting the reposted FNL threads just fine. Both readers were made by NewsGator, if that helps.

    Interesting. They don't turn up on Google Reader, which I use.

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  20. Thanks for your replies Alan! If possible could you ask them a question along the lines about whether the Chuck at the end of this season is going to immeasurably different from the one we know now?

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  21. I really don't understand the Scrubs situation. Why were/are they considering airing repeats during February sweeps?

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  22. I'll definitely be at the panel. My first comic con, I can't wait to see this.

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  23. I just found out sweeps this year is in March instead of February, so I guess that answers my question about ABC airing Scrubs reruns. And I guess it explains why so many of the CW shows are in reruns in February too. Frankly, I'm surprised that so many shows are airing originals in February if they have to air originals in March too. March and April are usually pretty rerun heavy, so I'm surprised February isn't rerun heavy this year to compensate.

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  24. ABC's "Scrubs" page has the next two new episodes listed as "My New Role" and "My Lawyer In Love" for this week February 3rd. Glad I don't have to wait any longer than I have to for the Ted-centric episode. The preview clip alone made me an insta-fan of the woman playing the ukelele player, LA comedian, actress, puppeteer, and musician Kate Micucci. With a resume like that, she fits right in with the Scrubs world.

    And credit to ABC: that "Scrubs" page is well stocked with fresh clips and interviews.

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  25. thanks for the Scrubs update. I never had time to do the math, but i did see the promos thursday night (rather, I fast forwarded thru them, or muted them, depending on whether i was watching live or DVR (i can get ABC in Digital, or in DVR with pause, but not both at the same time))

    As for Comic Con - I'm just jealous. ;-)
    Can you ask questions about Scott? :-) (like, at least, have they shot those eps yet? or... just anything. I knew there was more than one reason I was jealous ;-) after I got over the surprise that there *is* a comic con in NYC)

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  26. oh wait - did you say you are *on* the panel? well, you can't be there without talking to the producers anyway, so...

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  27. okay, then - if anyone here sees any video about Chuck from NYC - could they come back here and let us know? (which thread would they use?)

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  28. Anonymous - Sweeps are in March?
    Is grass now orange too?

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  29. the new Scrubs site on ABC is lovely (except for Bill's blog, which posts comments only half the time and wouldn't let Bill make a paragraph mark without the use of html code (the commenters could just hit enter twice - Bill had to use p (can't wait to see if that shows on screen here)))

    oddly - the original Scrubs website (there was one but i usually forgot, since Scrubs coverage has been everywhere - sort of in the same way as its timeslot) at Touchstone, I guess (not the NBC site, which was different) has been abandoned without so much as a forwarding address. I believe according to said site, the series will finale in May of 2008.

    ABC should talk to itself a bit more often....

    actually, here it is
    original official scrubs site

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