Variety picked their best and worst ads of the year and it is utter nonsense.
First of all, that Samsung ad with the young couple was one of the WORST ads of the year, not the best, and if I heard that DAMN “SIMILAU” SONG ONE MORE TIME during the World Series I was going to MURDER SOMEONE. Second of all, any list of the worst ads of the year that does not include the Rooms 2 Go “My Stuff” commercial or the Untuckit “Holiday Commercial” is a lie.
If you’re feeling particularly masochistic, enjoy:
And if you just didn’t get enough of it during the World Series:
I mean.
SPEAKING OF TERRIBLE COMMERCIALS HAVE YOU SEEN THE ONE FOR THE BACHELOR WHEN THEY SAY IT IS RETURNING IN JANU-ARIE? I’M GOING TO SET EVERYTHING ON FIRE, I MEAN IT. Anyway, this one is already saying he’s fallen in love with two women, so.
Welp, they did it. The FCC repealed Net Neutrality rules on a 3-2 vote along party (and gender) lines. Some people had feelings about it. And lots of people had plenty to say to Dummy Jr.’s stupid misspelled tweet about it. NEUTALITY, YOU MORON? REALLY?
And Mackenzie Astin is claiming that his mother Patty Duke’s was fraudulently used to support the FCC’s decision. She’s been dead since 2016. COOL COOL COOL.
In other business news, some people are pretty sure this Disney-Fox merger is bad news for nerds, parents and children, jobs, and maybe the Fox Network itself. But will the merger be held up by the Justice Department? Prolly not.
Set your DVR: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are getting married on May 19.
Steven Moffat thinks that Doctor Who is the “greatest TV show ever made.” “Sure,” says The Sopranos while flipping back and forth between episodes of Breaking Bad, The Wire, and Game of Thrones.
Tina Fey and Robert Carlock will be honored by the Writers Guild of America with the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence, and they had an appropriately funny response: “This is particularly meaningful for us as Herb created “Weekend Update,” which is where we first worked together in the late nineties. Like Herb, Tina grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. And, like Robert, Herb was a Caucasian male, which used to be cool.”
GLAAD is disappointed in you, Spanish language television. Muy disappointed.
Harassment Amassment
Dustin Hoffman has been accused by a bunch more women of being a gross harasser, including two women who claim he was disgusting with them when they were teenagers. Ugh. He is denying the allegations.
Russell Simmons claims that he will prove without any doubt that the rape and sexual misconduct allegations that have been lodged against him by SO MANY WOMEN are false, adding #NOTME. Oh HELL NO. You do not get to co-opt the #MeToo movement to proclaim your innocence in rape allegations, asshole. Even if you are innocent, this is not appropriate. Anyway, the cops are looking into this, so.
Brad Kern, the showrunner for NCIS: New Orleans, has reportedly been the subject of two CBS investigations into bad behavior and still has a job. Apparently, he was the showrunner of Charmed, and his behavior sounds less than charming.
Mario Batali has formally been fired from The Chew.
Professional creep Terry Richardson has been accused of rape by model Caron Bernstein.
Morgan Spurlock has stepped down from his production company in the wake of his confession to bad behavior.
Walmart and Hay House are cutting ties with Tavis Smiley.
A production assistant on The Today Show details her secret — and consensual — affair with Matt Lauer. Meanwhile, one of Lauer’s accuser’s lawyer is saying that NBC hasn’t been doing enough to protect her.
A bipartisan group in the Senate has put forth a bill to change their bullshit harassment rules. Let’s hope it is passed quickly.
GOD DAMMIT, MATT DAMON, STOP TALKING.
Renewals
- Curb Your Enthusiasm will be back for a 10th season on HBO.
- Netflix renewed Frontier for a third season.
- Netflix has also renewed Altered Carbon.
In Development
- NBC is trying to do another remake of The IT Crowd. This is the THIRD TIME NBC has tried to make this happen. THE THIRD.
- NBC is working on a new comedy from Casey Wilson and Jackie Clarke.
- Netflix has ordered On My Block, a half-hour comedy.
- Netflix is launching two new true crime series: Dirty Money and Rotten.
- Netflix picked up the film Sun Dogs.
- Freeform is working on The Kill Book.
- Oh, lord, they may be making a sixth season of Prison Break.
- Olive Forever is not happening at USA.
Casting News
- Catherine Keener is joining Kidding on Showtime.
- Kylie Bunbury will star in Get Christie Love.
- Martin Donovan and Yasmine Al Massri will guest on the Harvey Weinstein episode of Law & Order: SVU.
- Hasan Minhaj will guest on the upcoming NBC sitcom Champions.
- Vincent Pastore is going to recur on Hawaii Five-0.
Mark Your Calendar
- A.P. Bio will have a sneak preview on NBC on February 1 and then return on March 1, once the Olympics are over. I am very excited for this show.
- Roseanne will debut on ABC on March 27.
- The People’s Choice Awards will air on E! on November 11.
- Bizarre Foods returns on the Travel Channel on January 23.
- Jay Leno’s Garage returns on CNBC on January 4.
- Chain of Command debuts on NatGeo on January 15.
- Gold Rush: White Water will debut on Discovery on January 19.
R.I.P.
Martin Ransohoff, Producer
WATCH THIS
FRIDAY
Wormwood: Errol Morris new series is a mix of documentary and scripted storytelling, revealing the story of Frank Olson’s mysterious death. Netflix
The Exorcist: Season finale of the best show you’re not watching. Dammit. 8 p.m., Fox
Jean-Claude Van Johnson: Jean-Claude plays Jean-Claude in this action comedy. Amazon
SATURDAY
Saturday Night Live: Kevin Hart & Foo Fighters 10:30 p.m., NBC
Arrival: Quiet, intelligent, moving, this is one of the best sci-fi movies I’ve seen in a long time. I would say more about why I liked it so much — it doesn’t violate one of my big sci-fi pet peeves — but to say any more would reveal a huge plot twist. 7 p.m., Epix
Ten Days in the Valley: So this is back. 8 p.m., ABC
SUNDAY
A Christmas Story Live!: YOU’LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT! 6 p.m., Fox
Search Party: Season finale. 9 p.m., TBS
The Sound of Music: Having been to the Austrian Alps for the first time this summer, I can say I get it now. I get it. 6 p.m., ABC
Late Night: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: (Friday): Jodie Foster Watch What Happens Live (Sunday): Anderson Cooper, Kim Zolciak Biermann
| FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Once Upon a Time (new) |
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (new) |
20/20 (new) |
| CBS | MacGyver (new) |
Hawaii Five-0 (new) |
Hawaii Five-0 (new) |
| CW | The 86th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (new) |
Local |
| FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (new) |
The Exorcist (new) |
Local |
| NBC | Blindspot (new) |
Dateline NBC (new) |
—
| SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
| ABC | I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown | Ten Days in the Valley (new) |
Ten Days in the Valley (new) |
News/Local |
| CBS | The Program: Pearland Oilers (new) |
Jim Brickman: A Joyful Christmas | 48 Hours (new) |
News/Local |
| FOX | UFC Fight Night (live) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Will & Grace (repeat) |
Superstore (repeat) |
Dateline NBC (repeat) |
News/Local | Saturday Night Live (Kevin Hart & Foo Fighters) |
—
| SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | The Sound of Music |
| CBS | Football (live) |
60 Minutes (new) |
Widom of the Crowd (new) |
NCIS: Los Angeles (new) |
Madam Secretary (new) |
| FOX | A Christmas Story Live! (live) |
| NBC | NFL Football (live) |
I have to say I really liked that Samsung spot at first. It was nice and sweet and the song was catchy. Then they played it approximately 8273907985673497598234 times during the playoffs and World Series and I want to stab my ears off every time I hear the song now.