American Idol

TV Review: The Best New Show of the Year is ‘Glee’

BrianTT — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:10:46 -0600

CHICAGO – Ryan Murphy’s brilliant “Glee” is not only the best new show of the year, it’s off to one of the best starts for any series in the last several fall seasons. Much closer to Alexander Payne’s “Election” than Disney’s “High School Musical,” this is a clever blend of satire, pop tunes, laugh-out-loud comedy, and rich, interesting characters that you simply shouldn’t miss.

Television Rating: 5.0/5.0

Since I first reviewed “Glee,” I was worried about two things. One, is the show too quirky and unusual for TV? Could it suffer the same fate as other critically acclaimed shows that never found an audience like “Pushing Daisies” and “Veronica Mars”?

Two, would the quality of the premiere that was so good that Fox aired it four months early maintain itself? The jury is still out on the former but I’ve seen two more episodes (tonight’s “Showmance” and the fourth episode, “Preggers”) and can confirm that the quality of the show definitely does not falter.

The members of McKinley High’s Glee Club learn a new song and dance to perform in front of the school in “Showmance,” the series premiere episode of GLEE airing Wednesday, Sept. 9 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith.
Photo credit: Carin Baer/FOX

The first new episode, “Showmance,” airs tonight on Fox and sets several plotlines in motion that will clearly be a better part of the first season of the show. One of the many great things about the first new episode of the debut season of “Glee” is that it makes clear that music will not merely be one part of the show, but often serve as a commentary on the characters and plotlines instead of just being filler.

Rachel (Lea Michele, L) and Finn (Cory Monteith, R) take direction on a new song and dance routine in “Showmance,” the series premiere episode of GLEE airing Wednesday, Sept. 9 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Carin Baer/FOX

For example, one of the driving plotlines of the first season of “Glee” will be the relationship between glee club manager Will (Matthew Morrison) and his crazy wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) and the very clever writers of the show use the gang performing “Gold Digger” as not just a musical number but a commentary on Will’s home life. At the same time, a love triangle forms between Rachel (Lea Michelle), Finn (Cory Monteith), and his cheerleader girlfriend Quinn (Dianna Agron) and the episode ends with an amazing, passionate version of “Take a Bow” that makes the emotions feel more genuine than standard TV dialogue ever could.

That’s the amazing thing about “Glee”. It is definitely a satire of high school life but the writers and their incredibly talented cast find a way to make it emotionally resonant at the same time. A lot of credit for the latter should go to the best ensemble for any new show this year. Scene-stealer Jane Lynch is going to get a lot of credit but Michelle, Gilsig, and Jayma Mays are doing excellent work as well.

Yes, a lot of the characters at Carmel High fall into cliche and stereotype and I could see that turning off a few viewers, but cliche is an essential element to satire and if the dialogue is clever enough, which it truly is in “Glee,” that doesn’t matter. The writers of “Glee” are bringing the cliches of the high school TV show genre to the surface so they can be both satirized and made three-dimensional by exposing their untruths.

There have been plenty of shows that started strong and then fell from the peak of their first few episodes. “Glee” shows no signs of doing that. And even if it does, the first three hours that I have seen will stand among the best of 2009.

‘Glee’ premieres on FOX on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 8pm CST. It stars Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Kevin McHale. It was created by Ryan Murphy.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Fox Renews ‘Dollhouse,’ Cancels ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’

BrianTT — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:19:45 -0600

CHICAGO – The networks announce their fall schedules this week and Eliza Dushku fans will be happy that her on-the-bubble show from TV genius Joss Whedon, “Dollhouse,” got a last minute reprieve from the TV gas chamber and will be on the FOX fall schedule. While “Dollhouse” made the cut, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” was shown the door.

The rest of the FOX fall schedule was relatively predictable. We knew by now that “Prison Break” has been cancelled and that “24” wouldn’t come back until mid-season, but FOX did relocate a number of series, moving new shows “Lie To Me” and “Fringe” to new nights.

DOLLHOUSE: When a traitor is discovered inside the Dollhouse, Echo (Eliza Dushku) is programmed as a spy hunter to uncover the culprit in the DOLLHOUSE episode "A Spy in the House of Love" airing Friday, April 10 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

Kevin Reilly, President Entertainment, FOX Broadcasting Company, said, courtesy of Mediaweek, "The strategic moves we made last year to build off of our biggest assets are paying off. We've created stability and a consistently strong performance across the week. Next season, we're bringing back two top-rated sophomore dramas (Fringe and Lie to Me) and using our hits to introduce a broad and compelling slate of new shows that will make our air even more vibrant and alive."

New shows on FOX this fall include "Glee” (which has a sneak preview tonight, May 19th, 2009), a sitcom starring Michael Strahan called “Brothers,” and the premiere of “The Cleveland Show,” a long-in-development spin-off of “Family Guy”.

BROTHERS: Retired NFL star Mike Trainor (Michael Strahan, C) returns to his hometown and rebuilds his relationship with his family in the new FOX comedy BROTHERS premiering this fall on FOX. Pictured L-R: Colton Dunn, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Michael Strahan, CCH Pounder and Carl Weathers.
Photo credit: Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

With all the shuffling and the three new shows, all but one night will be different this fall for FOX - the classic combo of “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted” on Saturday nights.

The week kicks off on Mondays with “House” and “Lie To Me”. Tuesday and Wednesdays will be dominated by “So You Think You Can Dance” with a two-hour version on the first night and the hour-long results show on the next night, followed by the fantastic “Glee”.

Thursdays feature “Bones” and “Fringe”. Friday nights feature the only live-action sitcoms left on the network - the new “Brothers” and the apparently impossible-to-cancel “‘Til Death”. They will be followed by “Dollhouse”. Discuss amongst yourselves if two broad sitcoms are the best lead-in for “Dollhouse”. Probably not.

With the cancellation of “Sit Down, Shut Up,” Sunday nights feature “The Simpsons,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad”.

In January of 2010, “Lie to Me” will be replaced by “24” and “American Idol” will only be an hour on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights with two new shows - “Past Life” and “Human Target” - will get the best lead-in on TV with “Glee” returning in the spring.

Thursday-Saturday will stay the same but “The Cleveland Show” will leap-frog “Family Guy” and push “American Dad” off the schedule to make room for another new show, “Sons of Tucson”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

TV Review: Ryan Murphy’s Excellent ‘Glee’ is Unlike Anything on TV

BrianTT — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:39:09 -0600

CHICAGO – Much closer to Alexander Payne’s “Election” than Disney’s “High School Musical,” the pilot for Ryan Murphy’s “Glee” is one of the best of the last several years, a clever blend of satire, pop tunes, laugh-out-loud comedy, and rich, interesting characters. The one thing I kept thinking during the pilot of “Glee”? This is too good for network TV. It will never last.

Television Rating: 5.0/5.0

“Glee” is about a high school Spanish teacher named Will (Matthew Morrison) who takes over a glee club of misfits including the overzealous Rachel (Lea Michele) and a football star (Cory Monteith) who refuses to be the bully he’s supposed to be.

Will wants to break down a few of the clique walls at his high school and bring joy back to the halls. Music will clearly be a major part of the show, as popular tunes like Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” are featured in the pilot and creator Ryan Murphy has revealed that current pop tunes will be a regular part of the program.

GLEE: Members of the Glee Club try to prepare for a performance in a special preview episode of GLEE airing Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale.
Photo credit: Carin Baer/FOX

But this is not a show about singing, dancing, happy teens who learn a lesson at the end of every episode. It’s about expectation, ability, difficult decisions, and finding your passion as a student or as a teacher. And expressing yourself in whatever way you can…and, yes, sometimes that has to be through song.

The entire cast on “Glee” is exceptional with Matthew Morrison, Jayma Mays, Lea Michele, and Cory Monteith standing out and Jane Lynch is always great, but it’s the script for the pilot by Ryan Murphy (“Nip/Tuck,” “Popular”), Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan that is truly remarkable. This is sharper, wittier dialogue than most movies I’ve seen this year, much less the sorry state of television in 2009. Do you love Murphy’s “Nip/Tuck”? The pilot for “Glee” is better.

Yes, a lot of the characters at Carmel High fall into cliche and stereotype and I could see that turning off a few viewers, but cliche is an essential element to satire and if the dialogue is clever enough, which it truly is in “Glee,” that doesn’t matter. The cliche needs to be brought to the forefront to be undermined by something deeper and that’s exactly what “Glee” does. It doesn’t wallow in stereotypes, it makes them three-dimensional by blowing them up.

What’s even more remarkable about the script for the pilot of “Glee” is its emotional impact. Murphy and his co-writers take dialogue that if reprinted might send you into sugar shock, but they make it work. It’s a show about creativity, passion, and ambition done both as a satire of high school life but also as an honest ode to pursuing your dreams.

Glee: Members of the Glee Club rehearse in a special preview episode of Glee airing Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Jenna Ushkowitz, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Amber Riley and Lea Michele.
Photo credit: Carin Baer/FOX

Full of completely unpredictable twists and turns, “Glee” is simply fantastic. And FOX clearly knows it. Do you think they would be bringing it out for a four-month early “preview” is they didn’t?

And “Glee” is clearly a tough sell, the kind of show that is going to need glowing reviews and great word-of-mouth if it wants to survive. Most people checked out at the word “musical” and show with teen casts have a well-deserved stigma. I worry that “Glee” will struggle to find an audience but I find it interesting that Fox is experimenting with different ways to build word-of-mouth, giving their show a well-in-advance preview and allowing fans to download and re-watch it all summer long.

Not only am I anxiously counting the days until “Glee” airs again, this hardened, cynical critic plans to do something that he hasn’t done since the earth-shattering first episode of “Lost” - watch a pilot again. “Glee” is that good. The message of “Glee” is that the only life worth living is one that you’re really passionate about. I’m really passionate about the quality of this unique, excellent show and I really doubt I’ll be alone.

It’s impossible to say for sure after seeing only one episode, but if the rest of this series lives up to the potential of the first hour, “Glee” will easily be one of the best shows of 2009-2010.

Check out this great trailer for “Glee” before you go:

‘Glee’ premieres on FOX on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 8pm CST. It stars Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Kevin McHale. It was created by Ryan Murphy.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Ryan Murphy Dances His Way to ‘Glee’ on FOX

BrianTT — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:11:16 -0600

CHICAGO – Ryan Murphy is not a TV writer who believes in following the rules. He reached nearly iconic status from the loyal followers of FX’s “Nip/Tuck” and is trying to create water-cooler TV yet again with FOX’s very unique “Glee,” a show that we’ll review later this week (but you can check out a great clip here if you’re impatient).

“Glee” debuts on FOX…in the Fall? In an unusual move, the network is using the juggernaut of “American Idol” to introduce audiences to their new show next Tuesday, May 19th, 2009, but it won’t air again until the beginning of the 2009-10 season. Get your taste now and have the full meal in the fall. It’s an interesting idea.

Murphy took time out of his busy schedule for a conference about the new show and we have the highlights. Don’t miss our review on Friday and the preview of “Glee” on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 8PM CST.

Ryan Murphy On How They Choose the Music For “Glee”

All the episodes, we’re writing them thematically. Obviously you don’t do that for a pilot because a pilot is just sort of an origins tale, but it really just comes down to stuff that I like and stuff that I think it’s the characters and moves the story along. And also, with every episode, we do between five and eight music numbers, and my goal is to really try and give the audience something for everybody. We have a hip-hop. We have an R&B. We have a top 40. We have country.

On If There Could Be “American Idol” and “Glee” Crossovers With the Winner Singing on the Show

You know, I get pitched stuff all the time, but shockingly that has not been something that I have been pitched. No. Also, I’ve sort of been very specific with the casting about if we are going to sort of guest cast or stunt cast. I want it to be with people who just are wildly talented like Victor Garber and Kristin Chenoweth, so no, but they haven’t said that. I haven’t been pitched that.

On A Soundtrack For the Series

We’re sort of in the midst of dealing with a soundtrack, and the great thing about it is musically the show is really, really been supported wildly by Fox network and studios. We do between six to eight, between five and eight songs per episode, like I said, and it takes a long time to produce and to get all those songs ready, so what we’re doing is we’re – to make sure that the production value is wildly as high as the pilot, Fox has been so gracious as to give us sort of scheduled music hiatus where we can sort of take a couple days and catch up and produce the demos and have the kids come in and record them and do the choreography. That being said, one of the reasons why we’re doing that is because there’s going to be a series of albums where I think we’ll probably put out an album every couple of months because we will have so much material.

Then also, we’re going to have all of the songs, when you watch the show, available that night immediately on iTunes, so if you like something, you can go buy it. But the music part is obviously the most challenging, but also the most exciting and the soundtrack was bid on by seven different companies, so we’ve had a lot of luck with that, and that’s something that I’m really interested in. I’m glad that the network and the studio continue to support it in the manner that they have.

On Hesitation About Doing a Major Network Show

I’ve never had much luck with it just because I think my voice is pretty specific and a little bit subversive. And I told Kevin Riley when I pitched it that if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it in a very specific way, and Kevin was the person who bought Nip/Tuck in the room, so he kind of got my sensibility.

And to my surprise and udder pleasure, Fox network has really kept their word. In fact, they’re pushing me to make it much more in the vein of the pilot, and they’ve never once tried to take anything out because they thought it was too sort of nuts, but I’ve also been very conscious that I think the key to the show is to – it’s a show with a lot of heart, and it’s a show about underdogs, and you want it to have a certain kindness to it. But it also does have weird elements, like you said, but they’ve been very supportive of those knowing that that’s my tone, and that’s what keeps me interested, so I’ve been surprised, and it’s been a really great give and take so far, and I haven’t had any BSNP problems or anything like that.

But also, I want to do a show that appeals to everybody. I’ve done a cable show and that to me was a big challenge. I’ve done sort of eight years of darkness and really adult stuff, and I was like, okay, I want to try something different. I want to do a show that has a bigger heart and is kinder, but make no mistake. It still has an edge, and they’ve been supportive of that.

On Similarities Between “Glee” And His Short-Lived (But Now Beloved) “Popular”

To me, it’s a completely different tone. It’s a completely different show. The thing with Popular was Popular was a satire that made fun of everything else on that network at the time, which they never apparently got, and they wanted me to do some sort of Dawson’s Creek-esque thing, and I didn’t want to, and that show was about ambition. That was show was a very specific one. It was about as seen through the microcosm of these girls. It was sort of Heathers-esque, but they never really got and I think the show was really ahead of its time, and it’s had quite an amazing life on DVD, which I always find surprising and rewarding. People liked the show. They were fans of the show. But I always thought that that was sort of a culty, sort of darker thing that had a very cynical tone to it, and I don’t think this show does at all, and I’ve been very careful not to really try and cross-pollinate the ideas of that show with this.

GLEE: The new one-hour comedy musical series about a group of aspiring underdogs will special preview Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured Top row L-R: Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer and Lea Michele. Bottom L-R: Jayma Mays, Jessalyn Gilsig, Matthew Morrison, Kevin McHale, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Mark Salling, Dianna Agron and Jane Lynch.
Photo credit: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

On the “American Idol” Lead-In And Unusual Premiere Structure

It was an interesting thing where they called me up and they proposed it, and I was sort of hesitant because I said, well, I like that you believe in it so much, and I like the support that you want to put behind it. But it does bother me that it would be off the air for four months, like you would think that – or three months. But as Kevin explained it to me, this is really just a great – it’s a preview. It’s what they’re calling it. It is a preview. And I keep saying it’s like having a movie trailer before the movie Titanic.

It’s just a great way to get as many eyeballs to sample your show as possible, and the thing that sold me with it is that it’s airing after the ultimate episode of American Idol this summer, but then it’s immediately going to be made all available to people all summer long. You can buy it and download it off the Internet, the pilot episode, and also we’re going to be, throughout the summer, not only can you get it, and I think if people get it, I will love that, renting it and buying it. But also we’re going to have music available starting in August. We’re going to be teasing some big numbers that we have coming up in the show.

To me, it also seemed very brave and like nothing that had ever been done on network television, and I think it’s a really big night of television. We’re up against some great, classic shows. To me, it’s – and it’s Kevin and Fox. It’s not necessarily about popping a number. It’s just about slowly getting people to be aware of the show in a way that I think is very original, and I like it because there’s no other fall show that will have that. It’s just, they’re spending a lot of time and money on marketing it in May for one night only and then selling it all summer, and slowly teasing stuff out before it comes in the fall, so I think it’s a really good idea.

Glee: The new one-hour comedy musical series about a group of aspiring underdogs will special preview Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured clockwise from L: Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Lea Michele (C), Jenna Ushkowitz, Cory Monteith and Kevin McHale.
Photo credit: Matthias Clamer/FOX

On If He Was Involved in Musical Theater When He Was Younger

Yes, I was. There was three writers, and two of us were, and one of us wasn’t. What I like about that is sort of the one that wasn’t is always like, wait, this really happens? We were like, yes. He’s like, well, nobody will believe that, so it is through the prism of, for the most part, the writer’s experience. What I love – you know, what I remember about that time when I was doing all those shows and stuff is that I grew up in Indiana. But when you do get the lead in something or you’re performing, you sort of feel that the world is suddenly available to you, and you have so much optimism about what you can become, and it doesn’t even have to be about being a performer. It’s just about a belief in yourself, and I remember that feeling, and it was very important to me. And that’s what I wanted the show to be about, so I do sort of draw on that experience that I had.

On If the Show Came About Because of the Success of “American Idol” and “High School Musical”

No. It wasn’t because of that. Basically, for me, I had sort of been doing Nip/Tuck for many, many years, and when I got this overall deal at Fox, one of the first things I said to them was I want to do something that’s very different that’s completely the opposite of that because if you have success in one genre, they want you to keep doing it over and over again, and I didn’t want to do something dark again, although ironically my next thing will be dark.

I said, I kind of want to do a musical, but I don’t know what that would be. And they said, well, we’ve been wanting to do a musical forever, and we can’t figure out how to crack it. I said, give me some time. We’ll think about it, and then literally like two days later I was approached by Mike Novak, who is a producer on the pilot, and he said, I had this idea. A friend of mine wrote something that I think is a great movie that we want you to produce. I read it, and I said, well, I don’t think this is a movie for me, but I love the title, and I love the idea. Let’s just do that, and maybe we can turn that into a TV show, so we threw sort of the script away. Then Ian, who wrote it, and myself and Brad sort of sat in a room and came up with what you see in the pilot. We went and pitched it. Shockingly, they said yes, and we wrote it, and they picked it up the day we turned it in. So it happened very, very quickly, as sometimes good things do.

But I have never seen High School Musical. I know the conceit of it, and I know kind of what it’s about. I certainly know the cast, but I’ve never watched it. But I admire it. I think that what they’ve done is fantastic, but we were never sort of, you know, trying to do anything like that. I was trying to do something that was much more like a musical version of just sort of movies that I loved that were a little bit sort of high school is the metaphor. High school is not actually what it’s about, if that makes any sense.

On the Building Buzz Before the Show Has Even Aired

It’s so funny to me about the life that this thing already has. I already have an offer to turn it into a movie, and there’s somebody who already wants to turn it into a Broadway show, and also there’s somebody who wants to turn it into an ice-skating show before it’s even aired, so all those things, I keep saying, well, that’s very kind and wonderful, but let’s get it on the air first, you know.

“Glee” will be on the air on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 8pm CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video: Clip From ‘Inglourious Basterds’ With Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt

BrianTT — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:59:51 -0600

CHICAGO – Last night’s “American Idol” featured an exclusive clip from the August 21st release of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” starring Brad Pitt, B.J. Novak, Eli Roth, Samuel L. Jackson, Cloris Leachmen, Mike Myers, and Diane Krueger. We have the clip for you below that was reportedly too hot to air on primetime TV during “American Idol.”

The official press release:

Last night, on FOX’s mega-hit tv show, “American Idol,” Quentin Tarantino made a special guest mentor appearance and debuted a sneak preview of never-seen-before footage from his upcoming movie, “Inglourious Basterds”.

“Inglourious Basterds” stars Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger and will hit theatres on August 21, 2009.

Watch the full preview for “Inglourious Basterds”.
Watch more HollywoodChicago.com-hosted A&E videos.
Watch more movie videos on HollywoodChicago.com hosted elsewhere.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video Game Review: Step Into Your Favorite Show in ‘Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2’

BrianTT — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:40:59 -0600

Video Game Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – If you’re like most people who own a television, you’ve probably seen “American Idol” at least once in its near-decade of ratings dominance and thought that you could do better than the pop star wannabe on the stage. Now you can try and achieve “AI” dominance on your own with “Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2”. Practice your Mariah Carey note runs.

“Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2” is a pretty simple game. In fact, it’s too simple, but we’ll get to that. But if you’ve enjoyed a few nights at the local karaoke bar and want to recreate that sensation without the bar atmosphere and in front of digital recreations of Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson then this is the game for you.

This title may seem like a redux of the more complicated and popular “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” games, but the “Karaoke Revolution” games have actually been around for years with titles for nearly every system from Xbox to PS3. The first “Karaoke Revolution” was released in November 2003 with the first “American Idol” title hitting in the first week of 2007.

Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol 2
Photo credit: Konami

Last Fall, Konami updated the first “American Idol” karaoke title with new songs in this sequel that essentially is just the exact same game with even the same menu screens and options.

The gameplay couldn’t be simpler. Players choose a character, a location, and a song and then do their best to hit the notes and words as closely as possible. For example, you can do your best with “Losing My Religion” in the audition room or go all the way to the final stage to show how much you rock “Livin’ On a Prayer”.

Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol 2
Photo credit: Konami

The game includes over three dozen songs with more tracks available for download. Other songs included on the disc are “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie, “I’m Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado, “Imagine” by John Lennon, “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay, and, a karaoke staple, “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees. Other tracks are unlockable as you progress through the game.

The song selection is somewhat predictable. Karaoke bars everywhere are thumping to the beats of The Go-Go’s, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Hall & Oates, and Tommy Tutone. There are a few surprising choices, but a game like this relies heavily on its song selection and the disc songs are a little “eh” and they’re not even original masters. They’re covers with some pretty poor mixing.

However, with dozens of songs available as DLC, players truly can make a playlist they truly adore if they’re willing to pay a little extra cash. It does raise the question as to why the tracks on this actual disc weren’t just DLC for the first version, but music games always run into that problem.

It feels like a lot of corners were cut with “Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2”. The songs aren’t mixed very well. The “AI” judges look mediocre at best and don’t add much to the game. They’re pretty much just there to get excited if you do well and sad if you don’t.

Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol 2
Photo credit: Konami

What’s truly most surprising about the title is that it doesn’t really feel like “American Idol”. Ryan Seacrest didn’t give voice or likeness rights. Even the audition background doesn’t include the former “AI” winners like the show with fake characters replacing icons like Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks.

Why not make a true “AI” game? It doesn’t seem that complicated. It would have ALL the likenesses and personalities from the show. You could play multiplayer online and stage your own competitions with someone getting cut by Seacrest as he does on the show each round. Fans of the Fox mega-hit would love it.

To be fair, you can set up mini-tournaments online with this version but it doesn’t feel like the actual show. It feels like a basic karaoke game with the “AI” brand pasted on.

Ultimately, “Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2” is a party game and should be treated and reviewed as such. After a few drinks or for the hyper kids at a family function who just want to sing for Paula, they won’t be disappointed at all. Kind of like the show itself, it works as escapist entertainment, but not if you look at it too critically.

‘Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2’ was released by Konami and developed by Blitz Games. It is rated E (Everyone). This review is of the PS3 version but the title is also available on Xbox 360 and Wii. It was released on November 18th, 2008.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Lie to Me’ With Tim Roth Mistakes Concept For Content

BrianTT — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:23:08 -0700

Television Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – “The Mentalist” is the only significant new hit for the 2008-2009 season and the number one rule in TV is that if something works once, try and replicate it. Viewers can expect to see dozens of clones of the Simon Baker series in the next few years. It is into this atmosphere that Fox hopes their newest crime series, “Lie To Me,” can find a loyal audience.

Network TV ratings may be sliding across the board, but there is one genre that seems more resilient to the erosion than others - the crime drama. From network staples like “CSI” to cable shows like “The Closer,” every network head is looking for the next procedural with a twist, the show that they can keep on the air for years, preferably with a revolving door cast and very little effort on their part.

The Lightman Group is a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies in the new series Lie To Me premiering Wednesday, Jan. 21 (9:03-10:06 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Kelli Williams, Tim Roth, Brendan Hines and Monica Raymund.
Photo credit: ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX

Fox’s “Lie To Me” is not a straight-up clone of “The Mentalist” (and, of course, it was in production before that show took off) but it certainly shares some character traits with CBS’ massively entertaining program in that it’s about a man who sees things in human behavior that the average crime fighter does not. Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) can not only tell if a suspect is lying, but can often take it a step further and tell you why someone is being deceptive. “Lie To Me” is based on the true discoveries of Dr. Paul Ekman, an expert in reading clues in the human face, body, and voice, often brought in to investigate criminal investigations.

As the foremost deception expert in the country, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth, R) knows when someone is lying. He oversees The Lightman Group, a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies in the new series Lie To Me premiering Wednesday, Jan. 21 (9:03-10:06 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Yarish/FOX

The Lightman Group, headed by Tim Roth’s character, assists government agencies, police detectives, and federal law enforcement with issues of deception. Dr. Lightman’s right-hand woman is Dr. Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams of “The Practice”), a psychologist more interested in the general picture than her partner’s detail-oriented approach. Their chemistry is the highlight of the premiere and what the writers will need to focus on if “Lie To Me” is going to improve.

Drs. Lightman and Foster are assisted by a lead researcher named Eli Loker (Brendan Hines) and a new-hire named Ria Torres (Monica Raymund). The former gets to play comic relief with his practice of “radical honesty” and the latter is the “natural,” the rare person who can pick up on all the physical tics and verbal cues without much training.

The team behind “Lie To Me,” including writer Samuel Baum (“The Evidence”) and the executive producers of “24” and “Arrested Development,” clutter their first episode with two cases, character introductions, and even jabs at real-life personalities to the point that the whole thing sinks under the weight of its concept. It feels forced.

Religiously overprotected kids, a dead teacher, a philandering politician, hookers, and references to every famous liar from Kato Kaelin to George Bush is too much for one episode of any program. Cluttered TV scripts reek of desperation and “Lie To Me” is just not well-written. Roth is good and Williams isn’t bad, but TV has always been and will always be about the writing and the pilot for “Lie To Me” is a mess. The cases, the dialogue, the supporting characters - none of it works

I could look Dr. Ekman and his fictional counterpart in the face and they would know I was not lying when I told them that their show is going to be a hit this year but it needs to get better quickly if it wants to survive after Simon, Paula, Randy, and the new girl leave the air. “Lie To Me” has the safest time slot on TV - post “American Idol”.

But I think even the people making the series would need to practice self-deception to convince themselves that the series is anything but mediocre at best and borders on downright bad. It’s very difficult to judge a procedural show after one episode. Next week’s case(s) might be more interesting. But it feels like the problems with “Lie To Me” are deeper than a couple of cases with stupid twists. And that’s no lie.

‘Lie To Me,’ which airs on FOX, stars Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, and Monica Raymund. The premiere airs on January 21st, 2009 at 8:03PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

2009 Mid-Season TV Preview: ‘Lost,’ ‘Damages,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘24,’ More

BrianTT — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:08:01 -0700

CHICAGO – Be honest, TV fans. Fall 2008 was lackluster at best. The TV season really starts now.

With the strike delaying production on established series and the development of new ones, many more programs are returning or premiering in Jan. 2009 than the average mid-season. It couldn’t have come at a more important time for the medium, too.

To be blunt, the first 31 days of 2009 could be one of the most important months in the history of television. It comes down to this - If established hits like “24,” “Damages,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Monk,” “American Idol,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Lost,” and “The Closer” don’t meet expectations and if a new show like “United States of Tara,” “The Beast,” “Lie To Me,” or “Trust Me” can’t take off and become an established hit, television is likely to change forever.

Sound like an exaggeration? Consider this - NBC gave up on an hour of original, scripted programming every single night. They’re so disappointed in their slate of 10 pm dramas, including failures like “My Own Worst Enemy,” that they’re handing over an hour of TV every night to talk show host Jay Leno. It’s one of the most amazing programming decisions of the last few years and proof that original television on the big networks is changing for good. Does anyone think we’re that far off from all reality and talk on the major networks with original programming relegated to pay cable, basic cable, and the internet? I don’t.

And the Leno story is only one of the biggest headlines of a season that has seen far more failures than successes. Shows that took off the post-strike period, including “Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” saw ratings decline every week before their cancellations. It feels like people left during the strike and simply never came back.

New hits? There aren’t any outside of CBS, the only network that has anything to be happy about this year with the massive success of “The Mentalist” and the continued growth of “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother”. More than ever, the buzz in 2008 went from the big networks to the cable box with HBO launching new hits, Showtime developing their own, and even AMC developing a reputation for quality.

We’ll get into what worked and what didn’t in our TV year in review next week at HollywoodChicago.com, but let’s look ahead before we look back. Is it too late for the broadcast networks to save this sinking ship? Are NBC, Fox, and ABC done? Will there be another “Mad Men” in the bunch of shows premiering this month? Can a series actually improve on last year’s ratings for once? Let’s hope so.

Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for reviews and coverage of all the upcoming series and mark your calendar with the highlights of the coming month on the following page, in chronological order.

Exclusive Portrait: ‘American Idol’ Judge Randy Jackson in Chicago For Book ‘Randy Jackson’s New You Plan’

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:25:01 -0700

CHICAGO – Music producer and “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson got up close and personal with the HollywoodChicago.com lens before his book signing on Dec. 3, 2008 for “Randy Jackson’s New You Plan” at the Borders on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. Jackson said at the book signing: “We did all right, dog.”

In addition to being one-third of the “American Idol” judging panel, Grammy Award-winning rock bassist Randy Jackson is also the executive producer of “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew”. He also was as a narrator in 2008’s “Soul Men” with Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac and Sean Hayes. Our exclusive portrait of Randy Jackson is below.

Music producer and “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson gets up close and personal
with the HollywoodChicago.com lens before his book signing on Dec. 3, 2008 for
“Randy Jackson’s New You Plan” at the Borders on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com