New shows on FOX in the US

[ypsidan04]

I've found myself watching American Idol for the first time since the first season, which was uh, 2 or 3 years ago. It's not the layoff I have a hard time explaining, it's my recent new interest that puzzles me. A year ago, I would have been like "What's the point in watching that?", and now I'm like "Why haven't I been watching this?". Anyway, I'm sure a few of you have seen at least one of the first 3 hours so far. And all I got to say is, that girl Mary who is apparently one of the worst singers ever, is in my opinion, (shock!) not that bad! I mean seriously. Sure she didn't deserve to get thru to the next round, but give me a break, they didn't need to disgrace her like that! She's just different that's all. When she was in front of the judges, yeah that was bad, but I've heard worse. And when she did it again out in the hall, she sounded a lot better! Maybe she was just nervous, like a lot of people are. But she actually has the unique ability to change from a high voice to quite a deep voice for a girl within the same song. She's not the worst thing going, and if there's going to be another loser who still makes a name for him or herself, I think it'll be her. So what are your thoughts?


And OMG, where do I start with Point Pleasant? Let me start off by saying you need to watch this show! (http://www.fox.com/pointpleasant/) I hope to God it doesn't fall the same way as Tru Calling. Okay, let me start with the main attraction: the main character, a.k.a maybe the only blonde in this world who might be better looking than Tara Reid. I mean, I can't say enough, and this doesn't do her justice (http://img103.exs.cx/img103/2379/untitled6wb.jpg), but it'll have to do. A number of times in just the one hour I found myself at a loss for words, or all that would come to me were exclamations. :dead: And unlike, oh, say Hilary Duff, for whom I almost always have to endure juvenile and or femine shows/movies to see - even she wasn't enough to get me to see "A Cinderella Story" :rolleyes: , this is actually one hell of a good show!

Quite honestly, there's a blatant rip off of Carrie going on here _except she's actually hot!_, but it's still well done. But it's a little more than that, because she doesn't have to be present for these things to happen, as I'll get to later. There was this one scene where some guy for some reason was trying to choke her to death, and what did she do? She somehow summoned a swarm of some kind of flying insect to come and molest this guy until he couldn't take it anymore and had to let go of her, and swat the bugs away. And another time, this guy who saved her life and she subsequently fell for, just happens to have a girlfriend already. And she is not happy with that at all. So this guy and this girl are riding in his car, and they stop to fill up with gas. Well, this takes place in New Jersey, and in New Jersey, it is illegal, yes _illegal_ to pump your own gas. Everywhere you go in the state, there are attendants to do it for you. So while the gas is being pumped, these two have an impromptu makeout session. Somehow from at least a few miles away, the girl not only knows this is happening, but goddammit, she's not gonna let it go on uninterrupted. Soooo, she inexplicably sticks the pump in the "on" position - the attendant is back inside talking to someone at the time-, and after awhile, gasoline starts spilling out onto the pavement. And inexplicably, the puddle of gasoline just happens to be crawling towards where some mechanic is welding a car, and sparks are flying everywhere. But of course this is primetime network TV, and you can't have arguably the #2 character die so soon, so he sees the situation that the fire is traveling down the line of gasoline, and gets out of the car, and yells for her to do the same thing. And (TV cliche alert!) the seat belt's stuck! But in a few seconds, she's out, and (cliche again!) the vehicle explodes just a second after they jump to safety! But the funny thing is, she isn't really doing this on purpose. She can't control it, can't understand it. And that's about all I got to say, after just the one episode.

So comments would be great!

[spyretto]

Well, Pop Idol, the equivalent to American Idol, is watchable. After all, it's a British concept. They also show American Idol here but I could convince myself to watch it. Do you still have Simon Callow there?
Other than that the people of NJ should revolt against the establishment to change that law about pumping your own gas. Seriously dude, that is pretty screwed.
I don't have the slightlest clue about the other shows you mention cause I'm not a fan of tv shows.

[thegurgi]

hehehehe, the prospect of a "FOX" thread makes me laugh.... because, even though FOX never had the highest of standards their shows just haven't been doing anything for me...

gone are the days of Futurama, Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, Married with Children, etc...

But FOX is bringing back our wonderful Family Guy.... and hopefully taking The Simpsons off ( i think it's getting a bit stale, and it saddens me to watch new episodes cause i just think the magic's gone )

... can you tell i only watch FOX for the animated shows? I used to love their block of shows on Saturday Mornings... with the X-men and stuff, but now i'm obviously too old for it.

I watched the First American Idol, and i watched the auditions for the other 2, i'm a bit upset to learn that i missed the auditions... man, it's like masochism for me to watch, because it pains me to see people singing so awfully... and yet i get a cheap laugh or two... haha

[Celtic Jobber]

I caught Point Pleasant also, it's a hell of a good show (but just a little too soap-operaish. lol).

Another good show on FOX is "24", it's starting off slower this season but next week's episode looks like it'll be pretty good. :cool:

[spyretto]

yeah the auditions is the only good thing about American idol...as well as the critics.
In general the quality of tv in America reflects the cultural crisis that country has gone into. It's also evident in music, movies, books etc. You can make use of a good idea but not squeeze it to the point of stupidity. That's what's now happening to shows like the Simpsons, etc.

[Mossopp]

Fox sucks:
They cancelled 'Tru Calling' to make way for 'Point Pleasant', they have too many crappy soap operas and they have too many dumb "reality" shows.
Fox's only saving graces for me were 'Malcolm In The Middle' and 'The Simpsons', both of which are now long past their prime!
I'm glad we don't have Fox in the UK (although with the current wave of Americanisation spreading accross the universe, I guess it's only a matter of time :rolleyes: ).

[PowerPuff Grrl]

Ever wonder why FOX News (or FAUX News, as I'd like to call it) is soooo blatantly conservative and yet television shows in FOX are very liberal?
Just me then?

Anyhoo, I would take FOX any day than any of those other blander than bland networks like NBC, ABC, or CBS. With the exception of a few shows, they all produce the same sh!t, it is all the same.

I'll always love FOX for In Living Colour.


In general the quality of tv in America reflects the cultural crisis that country has gone into. It's also evident in music, movies, books etc. You can make use of a good idea but not squeeze it to the point of stupidity. That's what's now happening to shows like the Simpsons, etc.
That has actually been happening for a while now by the trifecta of bland; ABC, NBC, and CBS. I think it is called pandering to the lowest common denominator. Making everything seem inoffensive so you can appeal to a larger demographic, I don't think FOX has ever even attempted to do this. That tide has actually shifted, I think due largely in part to the current politics in the States. Nothing reflects more clearer than the last People's Choice Awards (I had no idea this Awards show even existed, btw). The Passion of the Christ and Farenheit 9/11 both voted by the "people" to winning top awards. Hmmm, that probably explains the whole FOX thing I was wondering about.


I'm glad we don't have Fox in the UK (although with the current wave of Americanisation spreading accross the universe, I guess it's only a matter of time ).
Really?
I honestly thought that during the past couple of years there have been a backlash against globalism (aka American Imperialism) accross the world. As for the media, people are now less inclined to consume American tv programming and films than ever before. Which is why Hollywood is producing foriegn friendly films (Day After Tomorrow, anybody) and foriegn films and television is doing very well in North America (The Office, The Ali G Show <--we get them very late here). Well, at least I know that in Canada there is a backlash, for the first time we are producing our own shows (<-- exageration, but not).

Cool thread, I'll try to stay on topic next time.

[ypsidan04]

Fox sucks:
They cancelled 'Tru Calling' to make way for 'Point Pleasant',

I for one take it as an equal trade. *Maybe* a slight loss. But then again, I don't feel as strongly towards Eliza as some people. :p

*Episode 2 is on in 20 minutes! :D

Ever wonder why FOX News (or FAUX News, as I'd like to call it) is soooo blatantly conservative and yet television shows in FOX are very liberal?

You're not the first to ponder that.

[ypsidan04]

From star-net-nexus.com:

A good-hearted local couple accept the stranger as an instant addition to their family. The couple's solitary oddball offspring forms an immediate bond with the stranger. With my inimitable gift for misdirection, I'm leading you to believe I'm talking about The OC. But no! I'm talking about the new Fox show that comes on straight after The OC and has the exact same plot, except for the subtle difference that the mysterious stranger is the pouty blonde daughter of ... Satan!
That little twist on an established theme is one of the many things Point Pleasant has going in its favour. It also has its arresting opening image of its enigmatic lead character, Christina, floating face down in the middle of the ocean. It has the liberating effect her presence has on all the sin previously repressed by the dysfunctional townsfolk of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. It has the "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry " explosions that occur when Christina's emotions are aroused. It has centuries-old religious conspiracy theories. It has a battle between the local clergy who fear Christina's arrival signals the end of days, and the emissaries of darkness who are anxious for her to kick off the apocalypse. And, most of all, Point Pleasant has an undeniable pedigree. Who could be better at creating and setting the tone for a series of this nature than Marti Noxon, the most prolific of all Buffy The Vampire Slayer's prodigious writing staff? Nobody, would seem to be the enthusiastic reply.

Both shows are about young women struggling with unasked-for superpowers, both are about battles between good and evil in small towns, both are infused with sex and death and both have knockout ensembles of immediately engaging, entirely individual characters, all of whom come complete with torrents of snappy dialogue. OK, that last part is where Noxon chooses to deviate from her old job. If Point Pleasant didn't have so much Buffy coursing through its veins, its extreme lack of sparkle in performance and dialogue wouldn't be as much of a hurdle to get over, but it does and it is. Hurdles don't come bigger or more wooden than lead actress Elisabeth Harnois who, as I mentioned, we first encounter floating motionless face-down in the ocean and who doesn't get much more animated after she's been fished out.

The crux of the series is supposed to be the battle for supremacy of the two sides of her soul but the Hilary Duff-like Harnois can't muster up much more than teary confusion. The rest of the teen casting - the quirky best friend, the infatuated lifeguard, the jealous spoiled princess - is uniformly bland. In series of this nature, we expect the bad guy to be a gleeful scene-stealer, but because Point Pleasant is so bereft of personality, when the devil's right-hand man Boyd (former Melrose Place hunk Grant Show) emits his first cynical cackle, he instantly nullifies every other actor with a speaking part or a prop. Whether corrupting the local church lady, immolating a sneaky priest, contemptuously rebuffing the advances of the town's hot, bored rich slut or - the biggest network TV no-no of them all - smoking, Show is the sole custodian of Point Pleasant's memorable moments. He's also going to become a highly salivated-over symbol of obsessive worship for all the alienated goths who tuned in expecting to empathise with Christina and found her a wholesome, healthy, blonde let-down.

Pretty much all the elements alienated goths and long-time Mutant Enemy devotees would expect from a Marti Noxon-helmed series are missing here. It's not scary enough, not sexy enough, not remotely funny and bereft of characters with any traits beyond looking yummy in bikinis. Despite all that, I'm not averse to the notion of watching future episodes (that is, if the trigger- happy Fox overlooks the low ratings and keeps it around). The idea of a show that, if they ever get it right, could be a cross between Desperate Housewives, Carrie, Firestarter, The Omen and The OC is too alluring to ignore.

A few things said there I can't agree with, but that's a pretty good summary.

[ypsidan04]

FOX Temporarily Resurrects Tru Calling

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) When FOX Entertainment President Gail Berman insisted to TV critics back in January that the remaining episodes of "Tru Calling" would air at some point, many a reporter chuckled. Well, Berman may be departing FOX for a creative gig at Paramount, but she's true to her word. The much maligned and already effectively cancelled "Calling" will return on Thursday, March 31, replacing the equally maligned and equally effectively cancelled "Point Pleasant."

Originally scheduled to air at 9 p.m. ET on Thursdays after "The O.C." this fall, "Tru Calling" was yanked first for "North Shore" and then for "Point Pleasant" this winter.

"What changed for us was when we saw 'Point Pleasant" we really felt we had a show that was incredibly compatible with 'The O.C.," so our thoughts changed, not so much about 'Tru Calling,' but about the possibility of not only having an exciting show and a winner at 8 o'clock, but also something that could really make headway for us at 9 o'clock," Berman said in January by way of explanation.
It turns out that that experiment was a failure. Despite getting a reasonably large sample for its post-"American Idol" sneak preview, "Point Pleasant" averaged all of 4.09 million viewers per episode, shedding nearly half of the audience from its more successful lead-in, "The O.C." Those numbers were right in line with the viewership for "North Shore" in the same time period.

Last season, "Tru Calling" averaged 4.55 million viewers.

The drama, which stars Eliza Dushku as a young woman who can relieve days whenever a corpse asks her to, will begin its six-episode final run with a two-hour premiere on March 31. It will take its planned 9 p.m. slot the following week.

"Point Pleasant" remains tentatively scheduled to air this Thursday before vanishing for the foreseeable future.

Wow. I dont know whether to be happy or sad. I really like both of them. What a shame they can't have both at the same time. :(

[ypsidan04]

The danger with depending on the American public to vote for the best candidate for a specific task is that sometimes, given the power of free will and a series of 1-866 numbers, people will do dumb things.

That thought was going through the judges’ minds on Wednesday night, as Constantine Maroulis’ off-night at the mic made him the seventh finalist eliminated on "American Idol." It left the Simon-Paula-Randy trio speechless, and Paula in tears. In fact, Paula looked a whole lot sadder than Maroulis’ mother, and comforted her in the show’s final moments.

Of course, if anything is predictable on this show, it’s the unpredictability. Last year it was LaToya London who was stunningly sent home early; the season before it was Trenyce. Voters clearly focus on factors besides talent, and why not — the alternative is to just let Simon pick the winner, and given his oft-stated allusions to Portuguese nightclubs and karaoke bars it’s doubtful as to whether the record label would get a better option with that approach anyway.

But the fact remains that the past few weeks have seen two finalists that have displayed real star quality, Maroulis and Nadia Turner, sent packing.

Granted, neither was the most consistent of performers, but there’s no question that each of them has a better chance at being a genuine star in the music industry than the likes of Anthony Fedorov or Scott Savol.

Maroulis made that perfectly clear with his final number – if he’d sang Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” as well on Tuesday night as he did once the results were announced, he’d probably still be on the show.

That having been said, the most telling soundbite of the night came from Randy Jackson, who uttered the illuminating “I’m actually really shocked … but nothing surprises me at this point in the season.”

Where were all the ladies who were supposed to be voting for him? I'm a straight guy, and even I can see that he's damn good looking... :confused: I'm glad I missed this announcement now.

Oh yeah, the geniuses at FOX finally removed the feeding tube from Point Pleasant. Now we just have to hope they got enough letters/emails (including my own) to make a DVD.

Oh yeah, the geniuses at FOX have put the Simple Life on this Thursday instead of Tru Calling. I'm hoping that isn't the second death knell for the show.

[Honu]

Oh yeah, the geniuses at FOX finally removed the feeding tube from Point Pleasant. Now we just have to hope they got enough letters/emails (including my own) to make a DVD.If not, I'll make my own. I have most of the shows on high definition and will probably burn them to DVDs when I get a chance. That's too bad, though. I liked Point Pleasant. Not to mention that Elisabeth Harnois is currently gracing my laptop's screen.

[ypsidan04]

Not to mention that Elisabeth Harnois is currently gracing my laptop's screen.

You da man! :D For awhile I had the same (but I don't have a laptop). She's going to be in two films that will be out in the future, but neither has a set date, and neither is going to be a full-scale release, so I can't say too much about it.

http://star-net-nexus.com/ReEvolution3/article/1416/index.html (damn, the huge zoom in's dont seem to be working. But at one time, if you clicked on the photos, up would come a zoom in so big you could see the veins in her eyes. :eek: )