McCook Daily Gazette: Columns: Jeremy Blomstedt

Taking stock of some new fall shows (10/02/09)
With the bulk of the new fall series taking to the air in the last couple of weeks -- along with most of the returning shows too -- I thought it might be a good time to talk about what's working, what isn't and what really isn't around the dial (or what I've seen, anyway). Call it a stock report, if you will, of new shows to buy, hold or sell...

Fall TV preview: Dramas (09/04/09)
The broadcast networks will trot out new hour-long dramatic fare this fall. Is there another hit in the bunch? The networks hope so -- and each of them hopes they are the one to have it. Last year's strike-recovery season was a disappointing one on so many fronts, but the drama field was perhaps the most affected. ...

Fall TV preview: Comedies (08/14/09)
If there was ever an opportune time for a big, crowd-pleasing television comedy to come along, it might just be now. A half-hour (or more, to be honest) of hearty laughs on primetime TV every week would certainly lighten moods from coast to coast and border to border...

Summer TV: The good, the bad and the really, really bad (07/31/09)
I know. I should be getting outside during the summer. The arguments for doing so are numerous, mostly relating to things such as sunshine, fresh air, the potential for human contact. Mostly though, I hear that there's nothing on except for shows I've either already seen at least once, or programs that I didn't want to see the first time (and neither did anyone else)...

A little brother who isn't so little (06/26/09)
I'm trying to avoid the more maudlin aspects of life in my column. I promise. No one wants me to get back to writing about TV -- the good, the bad and the ho-hum -- more than me. It's just that I've been distracted. Mother's Day. Father's Day. And for my latest diversion, well, my little brother is getting married next week, so you'll have to indulge me, just once more...

From a son to his father on Father's Day (06/19/09)
(Preface: Since I wrote something about my mom for Mother's Day, I don't want my dad grousing about not getting "equal time" on his day. So here you go, Pop.) My dad's Superman in my universe, and I mean it. He is a brave, intelligent and good-hearted man -- my hero, really -- and I am frequently amazed that he continues to put up with me and my shenanigans...

Pondering the 'Wearable Towel' (06/12/09)
There's an exchange of dialogue from an episode of "The Simpsons" that goes a little like this (forgive me if it's not verbatim): Belle (in a voice that's mostly suspicion, with just a hint of revulsion): "Mr. Simpson, are you wearing a paper bag?" Homer (in a voice that's rather matter-of-fact, yet can't quite hide the defiance): "I seem to have misplaced my pants."...

Summer TV: USA's 'Burn Notice' is back (06/05/09)
Summer TV, in recent years, has become a rather fertile ground for top-quality programming on the cable side of the dial. While the major broadcast networks ceded their schedules to reality shows, schedule cast-offs and repeats during the dog days, channels such as AMC, FX, TNT and USA started rolling out original series, and a significant number of them connected, critically and commercially...

I'm up for 'Up' (05/29/09)
As a 34- (going on 35-) year-old man, I am not supposed to be giddy with anticipation for nearly anything in this life, especially for something as silly as a movie. Social mores state that it simply isn't done -- I'm to be emotionally collected at 34 (going on 35). Controlled. Colorless, even. My joys are to be limited to grown-up things, and kept to myself...

Upfronts and the long view (05/15/09)
Throughout the next week, the broadcast networks will be holding their upfront presentations, announcing their fall programs to the world at large. This used to be an event that was nothing more than a marketing tool for the television industry, and it was kept fairly hush-hush. ...

From a son to his mother for Mother's Day (05/08/09)
I have a really excellent mom. To some people, that probably sounds simplistic, perhaps to the point of being childish. To others, it might sound like hyperbole. But it's true. My mom -- well -- she's a really excellent mom. And I don't feel this way just because she's my mother, and my mind is filled with sunny, greeting-cardish recollections of days past, seen through an affectionately skewed lens...

Things I thought about while typing (05/01/09)
I'm jumping on to the bandwagon of the "random thoughts" column this week. Why? Two reasons: number one, I'm very sleepy; number two, all of my thoughts tend to be -- well -- random. And thirdly, I'm very sleepy. Matter of fact, this could just be a vivid, old-pizza-induced dream that I'm having ... which would explain a lot...

Whose bubble is going to burst? (04/24/09)
In the next few weeks, the broadcast television networks will firm up their fall schedules, hoping to find the next big hit -- or, failing that, at least one or two minor successes that will propel their ad sales on an upward trend. Many shows that are currently on the air will not see another season; such is the nature of the industry...

TCM marks 15 years (04/17/09)
There are few things on television that can be accurately deemed as indispensable. Turner Classic Movies, the 24-hour cable channel, is one of those rarities. Now in its 15th year, it stands alone on the pay television landscape as a constant purveyor of art and culture and history, providing its viewers a chance to once again see the world through the lenses of filmmakers that can legitimately be called greats...

Two new cop shows: Are they arresting? (04/10/09)
I admit freely that I'm a fan of cop shows. From the various permutations of "Dragnet," to the revolution that was "Hill Street Blues," to the upheaval in the form by "NYPD Blue," to the myth-shatterer that was "The Shield," the behind-the-badge stories hold a level of fascination for me that few other genres possess...

Don't discount the discount racks (03/27/09)
Used to be that the cheap movies in the aisle displays at your friendly neighborhood Alco or Wal-Mart store were -- for lack of a better term -- the cheap movies. I can remember perusing racks full of titles in the public domain. A few are fresher in my mind than others, and not just because they were the eight different versions of "It's A Wonderful Life."...

Free video-on-demand box offered (03/06/09)
There are several different companies attempting to bring video-on-demand (VOD) services to a larger number of American households, harnessing the power of the World Wide Web to bring it to TV screens everywhere. The Roku set-top box, for example, costs 99 dollars, and allows you to download movies and TV shows through Amazon.com, while electronics manufacturer LG has announced a flat-panel monitor combined with a Blu-Ray player that streams programming from Netflix's Internet site, so long as you're a subscriber to the company's mail-order movie rental service.. ...

'The Simpsons' to run through 2011 (02/27/09)
Not many television shows make it through a full season, never mind 20 of them. But that is exactly what Fox's "The Simpsons" has managed to do. In fact, Fox has just announced that they are going to order another two seasons of the comedy, making it the longest-running scripted program in network television history, passing the legendary TV Western "Gunsmoke," and adding 44 episodes to the series lengthening total. ...

Is the 'Snuggie' the death of regular blankets? (02/20/09)
By now, I'm sure that 99 percent of you have heard of the "Snuggie," which appears to be the end result of the intensely intricate lab work of cross-pollinating downy-soft fleece blankets (or, if you prefer, Fleeceus comforterae, in genuine faux-Latinspeak) and the miracle invention that is the shirt sleeve (which has no faux-Latinspeak translation, at least none that I could make up off the top of my head; apologies all around). ...

Giving my first real Valentine's Day gift (02/13/09)
I'm pushing myself away from the TV this week (well, no, not the whole week; that'd be silly) because I'm really quite excited about something monumental that I did a few days ago. I bought my fiancee a Valentine's Day gift. It's supposed to be a surprise, so I can't just blurt out what it is in this particular space. ...

Catching cold and catching up (02/06/09)
As I write this, my left temple is generating a dull throb. My sinus cavity is alternating between clogged and arid, with each state providing its own special kind of unpleasantness. The rising, spiraling sensation of a sneeze comes on, then fades away with no such relief or release -- all "ah," no "choo," if you will. ...

Super Bowl Sunday: New American holiday? (01/30/09)
For almost every calendar day, there is an observance. Some of these observances are the very definition of obscure (January 26th's Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, for example, or July 22nd's Health, Happiness with Hypnosis Day, for another), while others are a little more elevated than rest (Arbor Day, anyone?), but the pinnacle of scheduled observances is the holiday...

'Lost' is back, and it's about time (01/23/09)
Wednesday nights just got great again. The fifth season of "Lost" debuted on ABC on Jan. 21, and delivered another pair of fiercely entertaining, spectacularly produced hours that put most of the rest of primetime television on notice -- a prime example of what TV can accomplish when everyone behind the scenes, including network executives, break the shackles of the ordinary and willingly take big (and bigger) risks...

End of the road for analog, but first the potholes (01/09/09)
It's going to happen. Television's analog-to-digital broadcast transition is on, and going full-force. Local stations to broadcast networks, coast to coast and up and down the dial, are advising viewers to prepare themselves for the next major technological advance to hit our living rooms. ...

Sesame Street -- Brought to you this year by the numbers 4 and 0 (01/02/09)
Here's some news to make my generation feel the chill of age in our bones: "Sesame Street" celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. (Or as Count Von Count might say: "40! 40 anniversaries!" and then give a cheery "ah-ah-ah" to the answering flash of lightning and crash of thunder.)...

Resolving resolution (12/26/08)
I've never been much for New Year's resolutions. Oh, sure, I appreciate the idea of setting a goal or two for personal betterment -- I mean, who doesn't look in the mirror and see those parts of themselves that could use a good tweaking or even outright replacement -- but appreciation only goes so far. A person must actually take the step of deciding which goals need setting, then setting said goals, and finally, with something approximating wholeheartedness, willfully attempt to reach them...

One opinion on TV's best and worst of '08 (12/19/08)
It's been a quick December, hasn't it? Here we are, less than a week until Christmas, and another week beyond that will be the start of a brand new year. Between fulfilling my duties here at the paper and finishing my Christmas shopping and singing in the McCook choir a couple of weeks ago and -- well, sleeping -- I've had precious little time to keep myself caught up on my voluntary TV beat. ...

Leno's post- 'Tonight Show' move a sign of (prime) times to come? (12/12/08)
A few days ago, NBC announced -- with some fanfare -- that long-time "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, who was rumored to be on his way to another network, would not only be staying at NBC, but in fact, be given a new prime time series. Leno's new show will launch this upcoming fall, and while there hasn't been any hint of what it will be, one thing is known: It will run at 9 p.m. every night, five nights a week...

Concert something to sing about (12/05/08)
I've noticed something during rehearsals for the McCook Community Choir's annual Christmas concert: the choir loft at the McCook Methodist Church is awfully crowded. But that's the only thing remotely "awful" about it. There are 30-plus of us, standing shoulder to shoulder, four rows deep. ...

Thanks for the journey (11/28/08)
This is the time of year when we begin to look at our corner of the world and take stock of our blessings, of the people and places and things for which we are most thankful. As for myself, I have many blessings. I'm thankful for my constantly supportive family. I'm thankful for the young woman who has come into my life and made every day better. I'm thankful for the job opportunity I was given this year by this newspaper...

'Pushing Daisies' RIP (11/21/08)
My heart sinks around 9:30 every Thursday morning. Sometimes it's at 9:45, sometimes it's at 9:15, but mostly it's closer to 9:30, give or take a minute or two. You see, that's when the Nielsen ratings for one of my favorite shows, ABC's "Pushing Daisies," usually scroll past my eyes -- and the prognosis they bring with them for one of television's most entertaining shows is not good. Not good at all...

Will they have a Monopoly on board game films? (11/14/08)
I'm not the Gazette's movie guy, I know, but I saw something movie-related on an industry Web site that I frequent that I found -- well -- astonishing. Universal Pictures is teaming up with toy manufacturer Hasbro to make a movie version of the board game "Monopoly," according to the Hollywood Reporter, a leading entertainment business publication...

Election night 2008 -- or was it 3008? (11/07/08)
As the years have passed, the broadcast and cable news outlets have slowly begun developing new and better ways to disseminate information to the masses, as well as gather that information for themselves. In recent years, that has led to use of live-blogging, instant messaging, and even webcams to communicate with the masses. ...

'30 Rock' just hitting its stride (10/31/08)
"30 Rock" returned to NBC (Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.) firing on all cylinders creatively, and brings along its multiple Emmy wins. Star Tina Fey, who also created and writes for the show, has been on her own rocket ride, thanks to a hit summer movie, then Emmys for writing and acting on the series, and most recently, her immensely popular impersonation of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. ...

Palin's SNL appearance a big hit, but why? (10/24/08)
Last week's appearance by vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live" helped the show reach a dizzying height. (And, no, it wasn't Alec Baldwin repeatedly referring to Palin as "Tina.") "SNL" achieved an astonishing 14-year high in the Nielsen ratings; enough people watched the episode to make it the third most-watched program on all of television, including prime time series...

Show is its own worst enemy (10/17/08)
Spy fiction sinks or swims based on the audience's ability to buy into the premise. My favorite of the James Bond pictures, "Goldfinger," has such a wacky plot that if you dedicate even a minute thinking about it, you'd laugh it off. But the telling is crisp and exciting, and there's wit and spirit in the performances. ...

Test driving some imports (10/10/08)
Importing and retrofitting foreign-developed concepts isn't a new thing in the television business. A sizable chunk of Seventies comedies were based on British series -- "Sanford and Son," "Three's Company," even one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in American television history, "All in the Family."...

Survey says: The games networks play � (10/03/08)
It's safe to say that any of the broadcast networks would like to have the kind of success ABC had at the beginning of this century with "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" While we're some years past its peak, you can't forget that the show was a cultural phenomenon and ratings juggernaut until it burned out -- thanks to overexposure -- and dragged a short-sighted network to the basement as quick as it carried it to the penthouse. ...

Emmy show will go down in history -- for all the wrong reasons (09/26/08)
Steve Martin presented his former boss Tommy Smothers with a long overdue writing Emmy last Sunday night, prefacing the award with his typically droll comments, spiced with flashes of his absurdist humor. Martin may have had my favorite line of the night; when talking about how excited he was about being at the ceremony, he said that it fulfilled a childhood dream for him. "I would rush home from school, get dressed up, and play '60th Annual Emmy Awards,'" Martin deadpanned...

Emmys: Who oughta win (09/19/08)
It's an inexact thing, picking these. It's not even like comparing apples to oranges; in most cases, it's much more akin to comparing apples to staplers. (For example, while an apple could double as a paperweight, would you want to drink a tall glass of stapler juice?...

Returning network series have work cut out for them (09/12/08)
A new fall season usually means large amounts of change across the broadcast landscape, but that's simply not the case this year. Most of the network schedules are carbon copies from last fall; they include a significant batch of series that had their seasons cut short because of the prolonged writers' strike...

New fall TV: Slim pickings around the dial (09/05/08)
The fall television season, just a few days into September, has begun in earnest. New series have already premiered on some of the networks, while others will be rolled out gradually over the next few weeks. Hear that clamor, that rush of excitement, that hue and cry of greatness being birthed?...

A still moment in the midst of a rush (08/29/08)
For some reason over the past couple of days, when I've had one or two seconds of peace between deadlines and commitments, I've been thinking about my grandpa, and that the man would be proud of me. Grandma would also be beaming, of course -- she was a story-clipper, to boot, so I don't doubt that she would've picked up two or three more copies for the scrapbooks -- but Grandpa would be the one heading out the front door of the house, and strolling downtown, clutching a rolled-up copy of this very newspaper in his hand, off to brag about one of his "bodyguards" to his friends at the bank or the hardware store or the grocery. ...

What you (don't) see is what you (don't) get (08/22/08)
There's been something of a hullabaloo among media types surrounding the CW Network's decision to not send out preview screeners of its ultra-hyped redux of Fox's 90s teen television paragon Beverly Hills 90210, whose title is now shortened to the sleeker, more dynamic, and much more numeral-centric 90210. (Although to be fair, the zeroes are being read as "ohs", so perhaps there is an additional phonetic artistry on display as well, at least title-wise.)...

Paris, when she bristles (08/15/08)
The onslaught of presidential advertising has begun. Both John McCain and Barack Obama will spend millions of dollars on TV and radio spots, and millions more will be spent by "independent" organizations that will slather on the slime and wallow in the muck. But will the most-remembered salvo have been fired by noted politico and Beltway insider Paris Hilton?...

What if they gave an Olympics and nobody watched? (08/08/08)
The Olympics are looming -- as NBC won't stop reminding us -- but honestly, I can't work up much enthusiasm. And I remember when the Olympics actually mattered to a non-Olympic sports fan such as myself. Granted, I'm still a young man, I suppose, but it wasn't that long ago when Olympic coverage was, in fact, great television...

A TV lover speaks without shame (08/01/08)
I love TV. And I'm not afraid to say it. Oh, sure, I happily work for a newspaper -- and reading is one of my favorite hobbies, and a good movie is always worth getting off the couch for (thank you, WALL-E and The Dark Knight), and I don't mind going outside for a breath of fresh air now and again -- but most of the time, that box in my living room is my favorite attention portal...

Jeremy Blomstedt
Jeremy On TV