Ahhh, Christmas.  Just when you thought it was gone and done for another year, it’s time to count down the Top Ten Things About Christmas, courtesy of Christine’s Top Ten Countdown Podcast, our 2007 2GuysTalking “I Hear Your Podcast” Contest Winner! -  ONLY on The 2GuysTalking Podcast Network

I am pleased to announce yet another very strong show coming to The 2GuysTalking TelevisionReviewBlogs, courtesy of talented and regularly-contributing reviewer, Paul Levinson.  I can remember when The Wire started 4 seasons ago and I just simply didn’t have the time to put it on the schedule to watch.  I’ll tell you what, though - between the regular review we’ll have from Paul, and The Wire Digest Podcast that he plans on providing, I’ll be sure to begin the hunt for extra time, less sleep or using my superpowers to create more time in the day to get caught up to enjoy the outstanding perspective he’ll provide to our continually-growing entertainment review environment.

Don’t forget also that the Writer’s Strike also provides you with significant holes in schedule that television show’s previously filled to go back and CATCH UP in DVD, making great shows like, The Wire and many more viable candidates to your viewing time.

Enjoy Paul’s upcoming reviews and please be sure to chime in with comments in regard to them.  It’s all about providing you the best and most diverse collection of reviews, perspectives and talent and it all happens here at The 2GuysTalking TelevisionReviewBlogs!  -Mike2GuysTalking

Journeyman was included in TV Guide’s Worst TV of 2007. Writes TV Guide’s Adam Schubak, “The major problem with this show is not so much the time traveling as it is the two completely unnecessary love triangles . . . . Week after week, the show spends half the episode dealing with the family drama while the rest is spent in the past trying to help random strangers whose fate has them going on to do something great in the future.”

Wow, talk about clueless. The great strength of Journeyman is its powerful mix of family/love triangles on the one hand, and the societal issues on the other, and this mix was brought to a near-perfect pitch in the last two episodes.

But beyond the fact that Schubak just didn’t get Journeyman - and was by no means alone among TV critics - I think there is a more serious, and therefore more interesting, factor at work here.

I realized a long time ago, when I was just a kid, and I’d spend hours holed away reading science fiction, and my mother would chide me for wasting my time, that some people, otherwise intelligent and even sensitive, are just blind to the virtues and appeal of science fiction. Years later, when I published my first science fiction novel - The Silk Code, in 1999 - my mother was steadfast in her well-meaning opinion. “You’re a good writer. Why don’t you write novels about real things?”

“Ma, science fiction is about real things … ,” I tried to answer.

In fact, it’s about the most real things in our existence - our uniquely human capacity to edit the very nature of the universe.

As a genre of science fiction especially complex, time travel stories bear a special challenge. You’ve got to love the buzz-saw of paradox, have a high tolerance for - actually, a zest for - the nearly incompatible, the things that don’t add up to any common sense.

The appeal of a time-travel series such as Journeyman is that it is especially uncommon. How can a man choose between a son he knows and loves, and a daughter that has just been brought into being in a new timeline he has created? Whatever choice he makes brings him pain, personal and cosmic.

Adam Schubak is entitled to find a show that presents such a choice of little interest - just as a color-blind person might understandably turn his back on a magical sunset.

“Quantum Leap it ain’t. Heck, it’s not even Back to the Future Part 3,” Schubak concludes about Journeyman. He’s right about Quantum Leap, at least - Journeyman, especially in its last two episodes, was far better. As for Back to the Future - well, let’s just say that Part 3 was an integral part of the trilogy masterpiece, which doesn’t jibe with Schuback’s “not even Part 3″.

But, it’s ok. Schubak is time-travel blind, so of course he doesn’t get it. It’s just that … well, maybe next time TV Guide should take its cues from someone a little better versed in the genre.

In the meantime, given all the uncertainty with television this coming Spring, you never know what might happen with Journeyman…   At present, it’s not on NBC’s lineup.   Getting picked up by another network is a longshot.  But longer shots have happened in the history of television…

With the Television Writer’s Strike in full swing, it’s time to consider the quality, quantity and overall social redeeming value of today’s television fare.  What keeps you watching a show? What are the shows that YOU just “can’t miss or you’ll die?” Make sure you listen to this podcast and provide In the Buff Podcast Host Jeff Fisher with input - ONLY on The 2GuysTalking Podcast Network.

Found this on E-online:

Happy (almost) 2008, y’all!

As you prepare to whoop it up, party like a pop star and/or try your darnedest to keep your eyes open long enough to watch the ball drop, I figure it’s a good time to tackle the question many of you have been in a dither about and asking for weeks now:

Will there be anything to watch in the cold and dreary winter of 2008?!

See, in case you hadn’t heard, there is a writers’ strike. And yes, many of the programs we know and love will probably be off the air for quite a while longer. But before you do something crazy like shut off your TV and pick up a book (cringe), you should know there are plenty of shows coming out in the next few months to keep your keister firmly planted on that couch!

Here, in ascending order, are our picks for the 21 most watchable new and returning series slated to come out this winter and early spring. (You can also get the full rundown listed by premiere date.) Drink ‘em in!
New Amsterdam

21. New Amsterdam - Fox, Feb. 22)
20. Make Me a Supermodel - Bravo, Jan. 10
19. Canterbury’s Law-Fox, Apr. 11
18. Big Brother - Feb. 12
17. One Tree Hill - CW, Jan. 8
16. The Return of Jezebel James - Fox, no premiere date
15. Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann - ABC, Jan. 7
14. Kyle XY - ABC Family, Jan. 14
12. Lipstick Jungle - NBC, Feb. 7
11. Jericho - CBS, Feb. 12
10. Dirt - FX, no premiere date
9. Prison Break - Fox, Jan. 14
8. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Fox, Jan. 14
7. Psych - USA, Jan. 11
6. The Wire - HBO, Jan. 6
5. Eli Stone - ABC, Jan. 31
4. American Idol - Fox, Jan. 15
3. Dexter - CBS, TBD
2. Battlestar Galactica - Sci Fi, March
and number 1 is
Read the rest of this entry »

Comic books seem to finally be going bull-bore into the digital world. Are we ready for this? Join the ComicNaut as he shares his thoughts and insight regarding the digitalization of mainstream comic books.

Show Notes:

- What are the reasons for the slow arrival of comics to the digital world?
- What are the pros and cons of comics going digital?
- Will digital comics ever fully replace paper comics?

Check out this podcast and previous ones, at the ComicNaut Podcast homepage, only via The 2GuysTalking Podcast Network.

I have been a closeted MONK fan since it’s inception and have the DVD sets that I’m still making my way through.  I’m very interested to see that Monk will br tossing over both Monk and Psych and am curious to see what “happens” with these two staples.  Let’s hope they’ll give them the chance that Journeyman and so many others never had.  Thoughts?   Let us know right her at The TelevisionReviewBlogs! -Mike2GuysTalking

Monk, Psych Coming to NBC
Source: NBC

NBC will provide USA Network hits “Monk” and “Psych” — two of basic cable television’s most successful and popular series — with a broad new platform from which to expand their loyal audiences when it repurposes both series starting with upcoming new episodes to be shown first on USA in January 2008 and then again on Sunday nights on NBC beginning in March 2008, it was announced today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, Marc Graboff, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios and Bonnie Hammer, President, USA Network and SCI FI Channel.

“These two tremendously popular USA series are a great fit with NBC’s current programming strategy and brand,” said Silverman. “This is another example of how the NBC Universal family is finding terrific synergies as we share our creative assets.”

“This is an excellent opportunity to showcase these two critically acclaimed cable hits,” said Graboff. “It’s a win-win situation – the shows, both produced by our own Universal Media Studios, receive additional exposure while providing great programming for NBC.”

“The USA audience has embraced ‘Monk’ and ‘Psych’ from the get-go, making them two of the biggest hits in cable history,” said Hammer. “We’re thrilled to share them with NBC viewers who may be missing a couple of the best shows on television.”

On USA, “Monk” is telecast on Fridays (9-10 p.m. ET) and on Universal HD (11-12 p.m. ET). “Psych” follows on Fridays (10-11 p.m. ET). All new episodes of “Monk” and “Psych” return to USA on Friday, January 11, 2008.

While there may be witnesses to me watching the “American Idol - Rewind” in my garage while working on my car (true, I will deny it) I am not a fan in general of American Idol, but am friends and family to many that are.  Check out the new schedule for American Idol below that I found while looking for scant news items and resources on the web during the Xmas Holiday.  - Cheers and I hope you had a very Merrrrrrry Xmas! -Mike2GuysTalking

The American Idol Schedule!
Source: Fox

“American Idol” returns with a two-night, four-hour premiere featuring outrageous new auditions and unbelievably great talent Tuesday, Jan. 15 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on Fox.

Episodes featuring the auditions held across the country in San Diego, Dallas, Omaha, Atlanta, Charleston, Miami and Philadelphia will air on four consecutive Tuesdays including: Jan. 15 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); Jan. 22 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT); Jan. 29 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT); and Feb. 5 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). “American Idol” auditions will continue on Wednesdays: Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); Jan. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT); Jan. 30 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT); and Feb. 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

The lucky hopefuls who get the judges’ approval move on to the Hollywood Round, which will air Tuesday, Feb. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, Feb. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). On Wednesday, Feb. 13, dreams come true for 24 contestants, as Simon, Randy and Paula announce the Top 12 male and Top 12 female semifinalists.

Then it will be up to America to decide who moves forward in the competition. The first performance show featuring the Top 12 male singers will air Tuesday, Feb. 19 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

The following night, Wednesday, Feb. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), the Top 12 female singers will perform. A LIVE results show revealing America’s first vote of the season will air Thursday, Feb. 21 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), when the two male and two female contestants with the fewest votes will be sent home.

For the next two weeks, the males will perform on Tuesdays, the females on Wednesdays and the LIVE results show will air on Thursday nights. Therefore, the Top 10 male singers will perform on Tuesday, Feb. 26 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and the Top 8 male singers on Tuesday, March 4 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The Top 10 female singers will perform on Wednesday, Feb. 27 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and the Top 8 female singers battle it out on Wednesday, March 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Four contestants, two males and two females, will be eliminated from the competition on the LIVE results shows airing Thursday, Feb. 21 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) and Thursday, Feb. 28 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). The Top 12 Finalists will be revealed Thursday, March 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).

The competition heats up as the Top 12 Finalists take the stage for the first time together on Tuesday, March 11 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). One contestant’s journey will end as America’s vote is revealed on Wednesday, March 12 (9:00-9:30 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).

RECAP (All times ET/PT)

Tuesday, Jan. 15 (8:00-10:00 PM) Season Premiere, Part 1

Wednesday, Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM) Season Premiere, Part 2

Tuesday, Jan. 22 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Jan. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode

Tuesday, Jan. 29 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Jan. 30 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode

Tuesday, Feb. 5 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Feb. 6 (8:00-9:00 PM) Auditions Episode

Tuesday, Feb. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM) Hollywood Round, Part 1

Wednesday, Feb. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM) Hollywood Round, Part 2 Top 24 Semifinalists Announced

Tuesday, Feb. 19 (8:00-10:00 PM) Top 12 Male Singers Perform

Wednesday, Feb. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM) Top 12 Female Singers Perform

Thursday, Feb. 21 (8:00-9:00 PM) First Results Show (ET live/PT tape-delayed) Two Male and Two Female Contestants Voted Off

Tuesday, Feb. 26 (8:00-9:30 PM) Top 10 Male Singers Perform

Wednesday, Feb. 27 (8:00-9:30 PM) Top 10 Female Singers Perform

Thursday, Feb. 28 (8:00-9:00 PM) Results Show (ET live/PT tape-delayed) Two Male and Two Female Contestants Voted Off

Tuesday, March 4 (8:00-9:00 PM) Top 8 Male Singers Perform

Wednesday, March 5 (9:00-10:00 PM) Top 8 Female Singers Perform

Thursday, March 6 (8:00-9:00 PM) Results Show (ET live/PT tape-delayed) Two Male and Two Female Contestants Voted Off; Top 12 Finalists Revealed

Tuesday, March 11 (8:00-10:00 PM) Top 12 Finalists Perform

Wednesday, March 12 (9:00-9:30 PM) Results Show (ET live/PT tape-delayed) One Contestant Voted Off

It’s one of the first and few heartbeats I’ve seen for the new year coming up.  Where do you think this abbreviated/stopped-short television season will take television in general?  Use the comment section below to let us know what you think will happen and be sure to tell a friend about The 2GuysTalking Television Review Blogs! -Mike2GuysTalking

The New Lost Commercial!
Source: ABC
ABC has revealed a new, extended commercial for “Lost” Season Four on the series’ official site!

The network will begin the last eight remaining original episodes of the series on Thursday, January 31 at 9 p.m. The season was supposed to be 16 episodes long, but the writers strike put a halt to that.

We assume that the network is eyeing a fall 2008 debut of those next eight episodes, with 16 more episodes in the spring of 2009, pending a resolution between the WGA and AMPTP soon.

Michael Emerson (a.k.a. Ben Linus) will appear on FoxNews’s “Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld” on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. EST. He’ll be “taking us inside TV’s hottest show”.