"Law & Order": Moving Violation

Speculation has been rampant in recent weeks that Law & Order (the original) might not get renewed by NBC this fall in light of declining ratings. As an aside: the network moved the show to Fridays at 10pm, not necessarily the hottest TV watching time. That may not matter however, because there are reports out today that TNT may pick up the show if NBC declines to. This makes sense since TNT is already basically branded with the show, airing somewhere around a score of eps a week (not counting the occasional holiday marathon).

Also, I think the cable outlet would be more willing to air new episodes in a more prestigious time slot then that to which NBC has relegated it as of late. In fact, imagine what a 1-2 punch an evening of The Closer followed by a new Law & Order (or vice versa) would pack. My only fear is that TNT might not have the budget to pay for the current cost of episodes (reportedly $4M per), thus the move from network to cable might mean a major cast shakeup; a proposition which may not be all that bad to some fans of the show.

I rely almost exclusively on TNT to watch L&O, so the change suggested suits me just fine. In fact, I would probably be more apt to watch first run episodes if they aired at a better time - maybe Tuesday nights - on TNT. My only request is that the network start incorporating earlier episodes of the series into their rotation of reruns. I've seen the pack of early '00s episodes so many times I'm beginning to speak in an Elisabeth Rohm inspired monotone.

An Amazing Race With A Disappointing Finish

I was a little disappointed with the outcome of last night's Amazing Race finale. The show itself was great, and the challenges exceedingly challenging. I especially loved the final Newlywed Game-type challenge where one team member needed to complete questions using a numbered list of possible answers. The answers formed a four-digit code that was used to lock an electronic safe holding the final clue. Then teammates switched and if the second team member came up with the same answers they could open the safe; if not they had ten excruciating minutes to keep trying, after which they were given the code and the clue. Only one team got out before the ten minute limit, and they went on to win the race.

That couple, and the root of my aforementioned disappointment: Danielle and Eric (aka Big Boobs and Sir Whines-A-Lot). To be fair, they were pretty decent competitors, overcoming several setbacks throughout the season. However, I just can't get past how much of a whiner Eric was whenever things didn't go his way, especially his ridiculously misguided feelings of betrayal after the yield episode a couple weeks back.

The other two teams in the top three were just as annoying in their own ways, so it was hard to really root for anyone. With the beauty queens being somewhat ethically challenged, I was kind of pulling for Charla and Mirna, despite their complete condescension to every foreigner they met.

I've written earlier that this was my first season watching this show. I'll be back when it returns. Not only for the show itself, but also for Josh Wolk's consistently hilarious recaps at EW.com. If you take the time to check them out, start with these two:

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20037230,00.html
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20036297,00.html

Losties Closer to Being Found? *UPDATE*

May 7th - It was made official today, Lost will finish up after another 48 episodes spread over 3 seasons, with an expected end-date of 2010. Do the math and you'll see that each season will be roughly 2/3 of a normal season order. My guess is this is due to some sort of compromise between the producers and the network that will allow the producers to get out around 120 eps and the network to milk the Lost cash-cow for as long as possible. More detail can be found here.

May 4th - Big news today from sources at E!Online. Looks like the suits at ABC might be set to announce a series end for Lost. Notice I said "end" rather than "end-date". Apparently there is no word as to how much longer the castaways will be stranded. Conventional wisdom seems to say two more seasons, however the producers have been quoted as saying they always saw it as a about a 100 episode show. If that's the case, then after this season there might only be around 35 new episodes before we find out what Smokey the Monster is all about (in a recent podcast the producers stated that that is one mystery that won't be solved 'til series end).

Even though Lost is my favorite show right now, I think this is great news, and as I've written before, this could possibly lead to a sea-change in how networks develop shows. Just think of all those great series whose excellence was diminished by having stayed on the air just a little too long. I truly believe that after a bumpy transition, green-lighting certain shows with defined ends in sight could really be a money maker for the networks. Read my earlier post for reasons why.

The announcement is expected sometime in the next week. In the meantime we can all relish in what a great episode "The Brig" was this week and look forward to what by all accounts sounds like an awesome season finale.

Not Exactly My "Brando" Documentary, But Good

Turner Classic Movies' profile of Marlon Brando is entertaining if not enlightening. To be sure, you get a sense of what helped shape this intriguing, iconic, and unique (to say the least) personality, but the film at times seems afraid to dig too deep and often changes direction. It sets out with an apparent intention to be a character study, but quickly turns into a somewhat superficial career retrospective.

Not that such a project shouldn't be a celebration. We're talking about someone who is arguably one of the greatest actors ever. The anecdotes shared by his friends and colleagues are great; touching, funny, and in some cases brutally honest. But too often the conversation drifts back to something close to sycophancy - one of the drawbacks of relying solely on interviews to provide the narration - which grows a little tired after two-and-a-half plus hours.

Despite all of this the film is filled with engaging moments throughout. Brando's rather extensive knowledge about the craft of film making (not just acting) is touched upon, as is his well-known reputation for being less than cooperative on-set. In addition to the public persona the film also explores the political side of Brando's fame. Learning about the breadth of Brando's activism, especially regarding civil rights, is eye opening. His support of American Indians is well known (and famously recorded in the 1973 Academy Awards ceremony), but it is interesting to learn he came "this close" to joining the Black Panthers in the late 60s. The insight gained regarding his relationship with his parents is equally fascinating, but again, every time the film gains steam with such topics it quickly changes gears.

For anyone interested in acting or film or even just pop-culture, this biography is required viewing, just make sure to watch it in parts. TCM is rebroadcasting the film in its entirety at 5:15pm on 5/12 and 3:15am on 5/29. The official website can be found here.

Some Sad News, Some Possibly Bad News, and Some Really Good News

First for the sad news. Tom Poston passed away Monday at the age of 85. Probably, best known for his role as George Utley on Newhart, Poston starred in countless television roles. Some may remember him as the cranky upstairs neighbor Mr. Bickley from Mork and Mindy. I remember seeing him most recently as a patient on ER. Take a look at his IMDB profile to get an idea of just how much stuff he was in.

And now the possibly bad news. Alec Baldwin, in a misguided attempt to make up for his indefensible tirade against his daughter, has decided he wants to leave 30 Rock to focus on divorced dad and "parental alienation" issues. (Note to Alec: It's probably a better idea to stick with what you are good at than to try and be the next Dr. Phil; forgiveness is for closers) Luckily the network doesn't appear to agree with his strategy and probably won't let him go just yet. Alessandra Stanley writes an impassioned plea for Baldwin to remain on 30 Rock, both for our sake and his.

Finally, some good news. As most everyone knows, Rosie is going bye-bye, at least for a time anyway. It will be so great to wake up everyone morning without having to hear about some stupid rant she went on during the previous day's broadcast of that stupid rant fest known as The View. Here's hoping her next TV project is a behind-the-scenes role so we don't have to see that creepy non-smile smile or hear that cheese-grater-on-a-chalkboard voice of hers anymore.