By Scott Buckner
If I’ve learned anything about daytime network TV, it’s that an hour of Cheaters (noon, WCIU-TV 26.1) provides one of the bigger bangs for the buck you’re not spending on cable. If you tuned in last Friday, you were able to witness what was undeniably the best episode of Cheaters ever to be aired in the entire history of Cheaters because it turned into the darkest, most twisted cookie jar any married guy exposed on this show so far could possibly be caught with their hand in.

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Posted on July 13, 2009

To the very end.

Posted on July 3, 2009

By Scott Buckner
I’m adverse to mixing TV and politics (or politics and anything whatsoever), but from what I’ve seen on TV over the past 18 hours, I have little choice.
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I saw the sound bites of President Barack Obama pushing his health care plan on TV, where he reassured the American people: “Don’t be afraid.”
Look, I’m almost 50 years old, so if there’s anything I’ve learned about the federal government, it’s two things: 1) When the president tells you to not be afraid, be afraid. 2) If either house of Congress has anything to do with it, be incredibly afraid.
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This week, NBC’s main network affiliates have been airing the Wimbledon tennis championships – even though really, the Wimbledon championships are about as engaging as dominos or soccer. On the other hand, NBC’s Universal Sports channel has been airing the week-long World Beach Volleyball Championships from, I think, Stavenger, Norway.

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Posted on July 1, 2009

By Scott Buckner
Jesus H. Christ! First Michael Jackson croaks out of the blue, and now incredibly popular TV pitchman Billy Mays! Which rightly begs the question about whether having infomercial medical insurance is prudent, even if the federal government does happen to come up with its own plan, like, next week.
Either way, celebrity Armegeddon is certainly upon us. So even if you’re only remotely notable, I wouldn’t even bother getting out of bed for the next two weeks because the shit is really hitting the fan. This means you, Wilford Brimley.

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Posted on June 29, 2009

By Scott Buckner
At first, I thought NBC’s I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here was going to be the same sort of VH-1 resurrection of D-list celebrities shoved into in the same confined space long enough to kill each other for our amusement. Sure, I started out watching Celebrity to see how quickly Patti Blagojevich would end up as roadkill. For the first week or so, the campground kept reminding me that this is how Jonestown must have had started out, and like most everyone else, I pegged Patti to become dead meat within a week. But she wasn’t, so I kept watching.
I’m not entirely convinced she deserved the very special, five-minute (seemed way longer) retrospective of her time in the jungle after she got booted earlier this week, but I found myself surprised to discover that I really liked her. I’ll leave the media vultures to debate whether she deserves whatever chamber of horrors the U.S. Attorney’s Office might have in store for her and her husband, but I really liked her.

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Posted on June 26, 2009

By CAN TV
Responding to the recent escalating violence aimed at youth in Chicago’s neighborhoods, Chicago’s public access station, CAN TV19, will devote an entire day to programming produced by residents whose communities have been affected by violence.
“I kept hearing more and more stories from residents submitting their programs about people close to them getting hurt or killed because of the violence,” said Omari Nyamweya of CAN TV, coordinator of the programming day. Stop the Violence includes first person accounts of parents, like 2009 Father of the Year Ron Holt, who’ve lost children to violence. Other programs were created by youth trying to make sense of the violence, a dance group offering an alternative to gang life, and community residents active in anti-violence work.

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Posted on June 23, 2009

By The Beachwood Retro Affairs Desk
For ordering information, press info.
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3:10 a.m.: Salvador
5:15 a.m.: Louis Armstrong/Chicago Style
6:30 a.m.: The Story of Medgar Evers
8 a.m.: Man of La Mancha
10:15 a.m.: Fast Forward
Noon: M*A*S*H
2:10 p.m.: Return to Macon County

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Posted on June 19, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
I know I was confused when Daniel Baldwin walked into the jungle to join brother Stephen in a big surprise on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, and I’m guessing others were too. Which brother was Daniel? The same one who bolted Celebrity Rehab? Wasn’t that one of the others? Aren’t there, like, 12 of them?
Let’s take a look.

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Posted on June 15, 2009

By The Beachwood Z-List Affairs Desk
NBC has become a propaganda vehicle for Patti Blagojevich. We’ll give you a taste of what she’s putting out there for a national television audience, and then provide another point of view.
1. Patti’s Schtick.

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Posted on June 10, 2009

By The Beachwood Z-List Affairs Desk

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Posted on June 4, 2009