Good TV Tonight: Monday, February 11

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Good TV Tonight

8:00 on CBS--How I Met Your Mother--Ted is frightened of breaking things off with his new girl.

9:00 on ABC Family--Bunheads--Milly marshals the troops as the new amphitheater is threatened.

9:00 on FOX--The Following--Loving all the women on this show, why do I fear they are all working for Carroll.

10:00 on ABC--Castle--Firefly Reunion Alert.  Gina Torres guest stars in this murderous spoof of the Real Housewives franchise.  

Also:

7:30--Adventure Time
8:00--Regular Show, Bones, The Carrie Diaries, The Bachelor, Switched at Birth, Biggest Loser, Love & Hip-Hop
8:30--MAD, Rules of Engagement

9:00--Being Human, 90210, 2 Broke Girls
9:30--Mike & Molly
10:00--Deception, Lost Girl, Hawaii 5-0, Monday Mornings

TV Notepad: Downton, Dead, Girls, Shameless

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Downton Abbey

--Our last prison shot.  Thank God, indeed.
--Rosamund--the missing niece.
--This Ethel the former whore plot is trying my patience now that the prison is done.  PLay another beat.
--"Just scrape me down."
--Poor Edith, even when she wins, she loses. "Edith isn't getting any younger."
--Best upstairs, short dinner scene in a long while.
--Maybe if Thomas wasn't such an ass he'd be luckier in love.  Look how long it took Mary.
--"people say so"  Oh, Edith.
--I am anxious to see Mary and Matthew in something else.  I wanna see them cut loose.
--Branson is the player of the season.
--This is more Isis than ever before.
--You have been twisted by nature into something foul.  Oh, Carson, you prig.
--I'm not foul.
--A two hour episode?  Why didn't I know this?
--Gotta bail for now.  The Beloved must sleep.  We will finish tomorrow.

The Walking Dead

--Merle is the worst.  Or the best.
--This whole opening sequence is freaking great.  Setting the table; the loss of innocents.
--The scene with Merle being protected by Daryl and Rick was great too.  He won't fit into their world.
--I am loving Tyrese.  A great addition to the cast but a slightly repetitive voice to the ensemble.  Which means that Herschel may not be long for this show.
--Okay, Glen, try scraping that off your boot.
--My God the dead are everywhere.  There were at least four in the background of the red pickup scene.
--The panic of Woodbury.
--Carol is quickly becoming one of my favorites of the original flavor survivors--which means she's probably the next one dead.  The scene with Carl was great.
--Andrea as Governor.  That wasn't great.  I liked that she wasn't comfortable doing it, it wasn't second nature to her.  Eight months ago she had a death wish.  But the rhetoric was too "powerful" for her to be delivering and for it to have that effect on the community.  Where was the skepticism, the contempt.  Bad scripting, which is odd because everything else has been great.
--Herschel has adopted Glen.  Aw, he is a dead man.
--I love how the show allows there to be long periods with no music.  That scene between Herschel and Maggie was especially nice.
--Carol sidling up to the pervert Axel is a nice touch.  Any port in the storm.
--Lori playing Banquo is a nice touch, but I really don't want Tyrese's group to leave.
--The parallel structure of Rick and the Governor is still strongly established.  What is tyranny?  Who is right, and who is wrong?

Girls

--Hannah is dumping work trash in Patrick Wilson's cans because she lost her dumpster key.
--Hannah quits her "toxic work environment" at the coffee shop.
--The music for this episode is great.
--With Mindy and now Hannah, do all young women fear.want to be victimized by serial killer.
--The she liked the way it felt.  "The moment you drop it in.  The moment you run."
--Oddest meet cute ever.
--Joshua.  Not Josh.
--Hannah is diggin everything about this little home, yard, married doctor thang.
--Patrick Wilson is amazing.  I hate that he's so handsome.
--The sex scene was hot.  But I find myself conflicted and ashamed by that confliction.
--I want that shower.
"Please don't tell anybody this, but I want to be happy.  I didn't think that I did.  I made a promise such a long time ago that I was gonna take in experiences--all those that I could tell the people about, and then maybe save them but it gets so tiring,  Tried to take in all the experiences for everybody letting anyone say anything to me.  Then I came here and then I see you.  And you got the fruit in the bowl in the fridge with the stuff.  The robe and the touching me the way that--.  I realize I'm not different. You know?  And we're not that different.  I want what everyone want.  I want what they want.  I want all the things.  I just wanna be happy.
--If anything I think I am just too smart and too sensitive and too, like, not crazy.
--What a perfect episode.  Holy cow.

Shameless

--Frank's cancer diagnosis is the cruelest thing ever, but it gives Carl something to do.
--Hard to believe Jane Leeves once played Mandy.  I can't imagine the story would have developed in this direction if she had stayed.
--Organized labor Shameless style.
--Never been a fan of Jody or his sexual addiction.  These scenes do little to endear me to him.
--Would I be happy if the show didn't have Jody, sheila and frank?  probably.
--Loved everything that happened at the camp.
--Debbie meets her goal; the gang goes wild.  I love these moments.
--What a placeholder of an episode until the reveal of Jimmy's dad to him.  Nothing seemed to be move.  all just holding our breath underwater.
--Carl is hitting on the counselor after they have been sent home.

Good TV Tonight: Tuesday, February 12

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New TV Premiering Tonight:

9:00 on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC--State of the Union--Exciting things in store for the return of this political potboiler.  Lots of new faces in the crowd including some surprising new guest stars (Marco Rubio has a surprising turn late in the episode.).  Don't worry though, the old standbys will be there:  the standing ovations, the thrilling and unfulfilling rhetoric, the jokes that don't land, Michelle's disapproving I-told-you-you-shouldn't-have-tried-it look.

Don't Forget:

8:00 on ABC--The Taste--While not as compelling as say Master Chef or Top Chef, this is a diverting little show with a lot of Anthony Bourdain, and that's okay by me.

9:00 on Syfy--Face Off--The artists pair up to make a two headed monster.

10:00 on FX--Justified--Last week Raylan found a foot.  I wonder where the rest of him went.

Also:

10:00--Chopped, Cougar Town, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, White Collar

Good TV Tonight: Wednesday, February 13

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New TV Premiering Tonight:

8:00 on CBS--Survivor:  Fans vs. Favorites--The mac daddy of reality shows is back after a strong season this fall with a full tribe of returnees.  They have been playing up the fact that most of the vets are plumb loco, but I look forward to the antics of Cochoran, Phillip and even Dawn.

10:00 on TNT--Southland--One of TV's finest cop dramas returns to cable. Cooper's new partner is war vet, and Ben falls in with a bad crowd of cops led by Chad Michael Murray.

9:00 on TLC--Hoarders--TLC continues its trek to forgo its Learning Channel roots and embrace it new moniker, The Living Carnival, with the season premieres of two shows tonight.  First up is the return of this disturbing staple, and then at 10:00 My Strange Addiction focuses on a woman who licks her cat.

Don't Forget:

8:00 on The CW--Arrow--Queen Industries tech guru Felicity becomes a little more enmeshed in Oliver's extra-curricular activities.


8:00 on ABC--The Middle--Missed signals are the Valentine's Day theme for the Hecks.

8:00 on NBC--Whitney--Alex's brother is in town, and Whitney can't hold back how she really feels for him.

9:00 on ABC--Modern Family--It's The Hangover Modern Family-style as Mitch and Cam wake to find Dylan living with them.

9:30 on ABC--Suburgatory--Tessa takes Ryan to an art house movie and both of their reactions shock her.

10:00 on Bravo--Top Chef:  Seattle--The "final" three take a dog sled ride to their final challenge.

10:00 on FX--The Americans--Remember the other Russian spy who died in the pilot?  he had a wife no one knew about, and Phillip and Elizabeth must ascertain her loyalties.

10:00 on ABC--Nashville--Rayna tells the girls her plans for the future, and it don't go too well.  

Also:

8:00--American Idol, Ghost Hunters
8:30--Guys With Kids
9:00--Supernatural, Criminal Minds, Ghost Mine
10:00--Hot in Cleveland, Workaholics, Chicago Fire, CSI
10:30--Kroll Show

Media Rants: On Elections--The Media's Ottinger Effect

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On Elections: The Media’s Ottinger Effect

by Tony Palmeri 
From the September 2012 issue of The SCENE 
Though not old enough to vote at the time, the first political campaign I followed closely was Jimmy “I've looked on a lot of women with lust” Carter v. Gerald “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe” Ford in 1976. Subsequently I became a bona fide political communication junkie, almost obsessively keeping tabs on local, state, and national elections.
Like most voters I rely on mainstream mass media for information about issues and candidates. I peruse newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and a variety of electronic media sources. The experience is never pleasant, is often maddening, and requires sifting through tons of bull crap to get to anything beneficial. 
What’s frustrating is that before each election cycle, mainstream media always promise to feature reporting and punditry that will be high quality or at least better than the last time. Before the election season commences, the media create an image of themselves that they never quite live up to: the image of the crusading fourth estate debunking candidates’ false claims, forcing serious and wide ranging discussion of vital issues, and being responsive to the real concerns of the electorate.
In failing to live up to an image, mainstream media are much like some politicians. In TheCongress Dictionary, Paul Dickson and Paul Clancy refer to “the phenomenon of not living up to an image” as the “Ottinger effect.”
Representative Richard Ottinger was a liberal New York Democrat who ran for the US Senate in 1970. The Republican in the race, Charles Goodell, was appointed to complete Bobby Kennedy’s term. Soon after being seated, Goodell irked Republicans by speaking and acting much like Kennedy, especially in opposition to the Vietnam War. The New York Conservative Party nominated James Buckley, and with Goodell and Ottinger splitting the liberal vote Buckley won the seat. Ottinger could and should have won the election even with another liberal in the race, but in debates and other public appearances he could not live up to the statesmanlike image promised by his slick TV ads. Texas Governor Rick Perry’s dismal primary campaign for president this year is a good example of the Ottinger effect on the conservative side. 
(below: Watch Rick Perry's campaign ad on "Proven Leadership." Then watch his "Oops" moment at a Republican debate. A classic example of the Ottinger Effect.). 



Like Ottinger and Perry, mass media promise something edgy and different but when it comes time to deliver the goods they are essentially empty suits.  Below are three examples of the mass media election season Ottinger effect.
First, the failure to effectively debunk false claims. False claims are a fact of like in politics; a rigorous watchdog media is really the only way to hold liars accountable. Unfortunately, the mainstream media’s addiction to a mistaken understanding of “balance” creates a “they all do it” mentality that makes the fact check process almost pointless.Factcheck.org and Politifact.com once held great promise as guides to exposing BS in politics, but both sites are now like a  football referee who calls nothing but offsetting penalties justified via convoluted, rambling explanations. 
Second, the lack of wide ranging discussion. We’re in a presidential election year where the major parties and candidates disturbingly agree on a wide range of issues, from austerity to national security. Yet the mass media will not insist on the presence of third party candidates at debates, nor even question the legitimacy of the “Commission” that blocks third party participation. The Green Party’s Jill Stein, the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson, and the Constitution Party’s Virgil Goode, in spite of mainstream media’s only token mention of their names, will all be on the ballot in enough states to technically be able to get enough electoral votes to win the presidency. Additionally, the three of them are the only candidates saying anything substantive about issues. Yet the overwhelming majority of voters will hear nothing about them. More than anything else, mainstream media censorship of ballot qualified third party candidates exposes the incestuous relationship between the major parties and the press.
Third, the failure to be responsive to the real concerns of the electorate. National election coverage especially is now indistinguishable from Entertainment Tonight. In Time Magazine JamesPoniewozik calls 2012 the “Year of the Nontroversy.” He argues that “political news has become full of these trumped up, social media and cable news fanned brouhahas over quotes, anecdotes and associations. We're coming off a decade of war and financial ruin, yet our politics have gone from Israeli settlements to Irish setters, from 9/11 to 7 Eleven.” I’d have given Poniewozik’s column an “A” if he’d pointed out that Time itself long ago established the standard for shallow coverage of campaigns.
Media failure to respond to the real concerns of the electorate is not just a national phenomenon. Talk to anyone who’s ever run for city council or town board and they’ll tell you that voters consistently tell them they are concerned about cracked streets, crime, garbage pick up, removing bird droppings from the parks, snow and ice removal, and other less than sexy issues. But in order for the local media to call someone a “progressive” candidate, he or she has to sign on to some big ticket Chamber of Commerce demand like tax incremental financing or other questionable tax shifting schemes. 
Want to be better informed about elections? You took a great first step by reading this month’s SCENE!

Good TV Tonight: Thursday, February 14

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New Year, New TV:

8:00 on ABC--Zero Hour--Anthony Edwards stars a conspiracy theory de-bunker whose wife is kidnapped.  The culprit has a little something to do with evil, Nazi clocks.

9:00 on AMC--Comic Book Men--AMC launches a night of all reality programming with the second season return of this Kevin Smith piece.  The night continues with the premieres of Freakshow (about a family trying to resurrect a carnival freak show) and Immortalized (about competitive taxidermists). 

Don't Forget:

8:00 on CBS--The Big Bang Theory--The boys look for the perfect gifts for their women while Raj and Stuart throw a party at the comic book shop.

8:00 on The CW--The Vampire Diaries--Everything changes on the island when a TWIST with the cure is revealed.

8:00 on NBC--Community--The gang goes to rescue Pierce from his panic room on Halloween.

8:30 on NBC--Parks and Rec--Andy prepares for his police entrance exam; Ron goes on Pawnee Today.

9:00 on NBC--The Office--Pam interviews for a job in Philadelphia.

9:00 on CBS--Person of Interest--A maid in a hotel is threatened; Zoe to the rescue.

10:00 on ABC--Scandal--It's now 10 months later, and the fallout from Verna's death lingers over all.

10:00 on CBS--Elementary--Sherlock wants Joan to take self-defense classes.

10:00 on FX--Archer--Archer's former fiancee wants Archer to rescue her boyfriend, Barry the Cyborg, who's stuck in space.

10:30 on FX--Legit--The boys appear in court to testify about the night some punks broke into their house to get drugs.

Also:

8:00--American Idol
8:30--Two and a Half Men
9:00--Grey's Anatomy, Glee, Beauty and the Beast, Anger Management
10:00--Buck Wild, Kathy, Do No Harm, King of the Nerds

Good TV Tonight (and tomorrow): Friday-Saturday, February 15 & 16

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New TV Premiering Tonight:

9:00 on Teen Nick--Degrassi:  The Next Generation--The show that launched the careers of Drake, Elena Gilbert and Annie Wilson returns to finish off its twelfth season.  Tonight, the perfect jock veneer fades on young Cam.

Don't Forget:

9:00 on Disney--Gravity Falls--Stan and Mabel have a contest to see who will run the Shack for the rest of the summer.


9:30 on Disney--Phineas & Ferb--Candice is named Rutabega Princess and gets to start the annual Running of the Chinchillas.

Tomorrow:

10:00am on Cartoon Network--Young Justice--Cheshire and Sportsmaster take to hunting Aqualad. 


8:00 on Showtime--History of The Eagles--This warts and all look at the seminal 70's band is a two parter concluding on Sunday.

9:00 on HBO--Beyonce:  Life is But a Dream--This Beyonce created biopic/concert film allows a longer look at the empowering phenom.

11:30 on NBC--Saturday Night Live--Tarantino stalwart Christoph Waltz and musical guests Alabama Shakes

Also:

8:00--Last Man Standing, Kitchen Nightmares, Nikita, The Job
8:30--Malibu Country 
9:00--CSI:  NY, Touch
10:00--Blue Bloods, Portlandia, Real Time with Bill Maher, Banshee, Merlin

Saturday:
9:30am--The Clone Wars
9:00--Ripper Street