TV Squad

Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:04:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free

The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:

There's a new website called Glyde that lets you buy and sell DVDs quite easily. Now you can get rid of all of those ill-advised Zac Efron purchases that you're hanging on to.
Viggo Mortensen is getting ready to star in The Road, the adaptation of the Cormac McCarthey novel. He has some crazy eyes in that movie, which could either be a big plus or a big minus, depending on your stance on the hotness level of dudes with crazy eyes. In any case, Cinematical has an interview with him.
I actually had no idea that there was going to be a fourth Shrek movie, but apparently it is, and it's titled Shrek Forever After. It's supposed to be the last film in the series... for now, at least.
I was never going to see Old Dogs, but the fact that I was forced to sit through billions of trailers for it while watching ABC On Demand makes me want to find every print and make a giant bonfire. A brave soul at Cinematical reviews it.
Fight Club is the film that finally made me love Brad Pitt. Cinematical rewatches it to see how it holds up after ten years.

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:37:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Bones, Reality-Free

Live Free or Die Hard on Blu-Ray for $7.99? I'm there. Check out that and other Best Buy Black Friday movie deals.
I know Funny People didn't exactly kill at the box office, but I loved it. It's coming out on Blu-Ray soon, and Cinematical scored an interview with writer/director Judd Apatow to talk about it.
Forbes came out with a list of the 10 most overpaid actors in Hollywood, and number 1 may surprise you.
Cinematical wants this clip of Kevin Smith talking about the Twilight saga to be the last word on the matter. I agree.
What do you think about Bones becoming a giant Avatar promo?

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The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more

Joel Keller — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:16:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast

If you haven't seen The Prisoner yet, you may want to skip the first fifteen or so minutes of this podcast, because we talk about the whole damn thing this week. Jason Hughes and Allison Waldman join me to talk about the AMC remake of the British cult classic, as well as these topics:

After the deaths of Edward Woodward and Ken Ober, why '80s TV suddenly seems so old,
Soap news, mainly a discussion of James Franco's guest stint on General Hospital,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag, where we discuss the use of laugh tracks and why multi-camera shows are written differently than single-camera shows,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 1:02:55.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Though I decided to add a small surprise at the beginning, a call-back to an interview I did a few years ago. Hope you enjoy it.

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Let's talk about spoilers ...

Jane Boursaw — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Site Announcements, Casting, Reality-Free

Spoilers are a hot topic here on TV Squad. Nary a day goes by when we don't hear something -- good or bad -- from readers about spoilers. And it's been going on a while; Isabelle wrote this post on spoilers back in 2007.

What is a spoiler? Should they be included in titles? Should we always put them after the jump? Are casting announcements spoilers? What about short posts that only fit on the front page? What if the info is common knowledge?

Let's take a closer look at spoilers, what they are, and how we can run a great web site and all live together with these precarious bits of info known as spoilers.

Continue reading Let's talk about spoilers ...

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The TV Squad Podcast: Mad Men finale, November sweeps, and more

Joel Keller — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:28:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, Mad Men, TV Squad Podcast

It was an eventful week in TV, especially for fans of Mad Men. This week, Jason Hughes and Bob Sassone join me to talk about the show's finale and what may be in store for next season. We also talk about:

Why November sweeps don't mean as much as they used to,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag, where we discuss why we promote SlashControl and other AOL-related ventures,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 57:28.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Daytime, Site Announcements, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free

Con: Another vampire movie. Pro: It involves Clueless director Amy Heckerling and Krysten Ritter from Veronica Mars and Breaking Bad. I'm so conflicted!
Good thing Ian McKellen is so graceful, otherwise, he probably would have drop-kicked Elisabeth Hasselbeck during his recent appearance on The View.
Is it just me, or does The Men Who Stare at Goats look amazing? See if it lives up to the hype by reading Cinematical's review.
Cinematical takes a look at some of the best and worst biopics, and I really enjoy the ones on the "best" list. Of course, I also love a few on the worst list, like Evita.
I really want to see Precious, but I'm also terrified of it. Oprah told me I need to go see it though, and I don't like to defy Oprah. You can read Cinematical's review of Precious here.

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free

Kurt Russell auditioning for Hans Solo in Star Wars? Now this is something you have to see.
Who doesn't love The Boondock Saints? See if the second one lives up to the original, when Cinematical reviews The Boondock Saints II.
The hunter in Bambi? I think we saw quite enough of him, thank you. However, the Cinematical Seven Villains That Should Have Been Used More disagrees.
Still not sure what you're going to be for Halloween this year? Cinematical teaches you how to make your own Fantastic Mr. Fox costume.
Oh my God, I am obsessed with The Bad Seed. The creepy little girl in it is one of Cinematical's Villains We Love, and I can totally see why.

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The TV Squad Podcast: Bill Scheft of The Late Show, Cake Boss, Mad Men and more

Joel Keller — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Late Night, Site Announcements, Podcasts, Talk Show, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast

Today I made an executive decision and gave the podcast an oh-so-creative name: "The TV Squad Podcast." This was after we recorded it on Tuesday, so I still refer to it by its old APB name. If you have any suggestions, let me know at tvsquad [at] gmail [dot] com.

In this episode, Late Show writer Bill Scheft joins me, Danny Gallagher and Kona Gallagher to talk about his new book Everything Hurts. Of course, there's lots of good behind-the-scenes info about what it was like to work at The Late Show, especially on how the events of the past month affected the staff and the show's writing, including the monologue.

He also tells some funny stories about being canned from Sports Illustrated (and spawns a new catchphrase), feeding lines to the guy who played Mike Singletary and more. It's 45 minutes of fun.

After the interview, Kona, Danny and I give our picks of the week. Run time is 1:03:02.

You can listen to the podcast below; or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free

I have zero interest in the Saw franchise, but Paranormal Activity looks super-creepy. Apparently America agrees with me, because Paranormal Activity beat Saw VI at the box office on Friday.
I remember renting the 1988 version of The Blob on VHS from our library when I was a kid. Now you can see it for free, just like I did! Except instead of VHS, you can totally watch The Blob on SlashControl.
Vampires may be the new hot thing, and as Jenna Maroney told us on 30 Rock, werewolves may be next, but after that? Witches are the new hotness.
I've always felt a kinship with Amelia Earhart, ever since I put on my mom's riding pants, boots, scarf, and a short wig for biography day in the 5th grade. So maybe that's kind of a sad reason to want to see Amelia, but there it is. You can read Cinematical's review of Amelia here.
Speaking of Amelia Earhart, Cinematical Seven has 7 biopics worthy of their subject. And Amelia isn't the only film on the list featuring Hilary Swank.

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Send us your questions for Late Show writer Bill Scheft for the next APB Podcast

Danny Gallagher — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:25:00 EST

Filed under: Late Night, Site Announcements, Interviews, Reality-Free, TV Squad APB Podcast, TV Squad Podcast

Word of our podcast revival must be spreading like an Alaskan oil fire because we've just booked our first celebrity guest...and it's a biggie in my book.

Late Show writer and author Bill Scheft will join me and TV Squad bossman Joel Keller on next week's APB Podcast. We'll talk about his work on David Letterman's late night show and the changing landscape of late night TV as well as his newest novel, Everything Hurts.

If you've got questions for our guest (and I'm sure you do), leave them in the comments section below and we'll ask them to our gracious guest when we record the podcast at 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Oct. 27. I'm sure you're all dying to know the answer to one big question, so don't waste your time by posting it below: what the hell does Bill have against 49ers coach Mike Singletary?!?

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TV Squad's APB Podcast: Balloon Boy, The Simpsons, DWTS, and more

Joel Keller — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:24:00 EST

Filed under: The Simpsons, Site Announcements, Podcasts, Dancing With The Stars, Reality-Free, TV Squad APB Podcast, TV Squad Podcast

Podcast time again! In this episode, Jason Hughes and Michael Pascua join me to talk about TV's doings this week:

The whole Balloon Boy fiasco and why the 24-hour news networks were so fixated on it,
Reality news from Michael, including a flu scare on Dancing With The Stars,
A discussion on why The Simpsons, especially the "Treehouse of Horror" series, is in decline,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 46:02.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download it by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

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Ask TV Squad: The TV Squad edition

Isabelle Carreau — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:35:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Ask TV Squad, Reality-Free

The "Ask TV Squad" column, published every Wednesday, answers your questions about current and past TV shows, as well as about the celebrities appearing on TV. Every week, I will pick a question (or more) sent to us and provide answers in the column. If your question is not picked for a column, it may be answered in a subsequent column or in TV Squad's APB Podcast. To submit questions to the "Ask TV Squad" column, you can post them below in comments or email them at asktvsquad@gmail.com.

This week, I answer questions about our own site, TVSquad.com!

Continue reading Ask TV Squad: The TV Squad edition

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TV Squad's APB Podcast: Southland, Leno, Mad Men, and more

Joel Keller — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad APB Podcast, TV Squad Podcast

Week two of the revival of TV Squad's APB podcast has arrived! In this episode, Bob Sassone and Danny Gallagher join me to talk about TV's doings this week:

The cancellation of Southland and the role of The Jay Leno Show in that cancellation,
A quick discussion about my interview with Mad Men's Matt Weiner last week,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 40:10.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download it by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Trevor Trailer Trash" by the late great New Brunswick, NJ band Cropduster.

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free

"I mean, if we can have a bajillion stripper movies, can't we have a least a handful or 50 library flicks that not only entertain, but also do great things for the communities across the country?" I couldn't have said it better myself. Check out how a movie starring Parker Posey may save a library.
Chris Rock was on Oprah today talking to women about his new documentary Good Hair. It sounds absolutely fascinating to me, and is already stirring up a lot of Controversy. Check out the review on Cinematical.
I love a good scary movie, and it seems as though the upcoming Paranormal Activity fits the bill. Cinematical interviews writer-director Oren Peli.
The movie Burlesque sounds absolutely insane: Cristina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci, and now Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell has joined the cast.
Speaking of the lovely Kristen Bell, her movie, Couples Retreat, opens this weekend. Check out the review on Cinematical.

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TV Squad's APB Podcast returns! Letterman, the fall season, and more

Joel Keller — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, TV Squad APB Podcast, TV Squad Podcast

As part of our ongoing efforts to infiltrate every one of your senses, we've decided to bring back the APB Podcast, last seen in various forms around two years ago. In this first podcast, Jason Hughes, Kona Gallagher and myself discuss the following topics:

The Letterman scandal
A minute (if that) about Jon and Kate
How the fall season's going so far, including why Dollhouse's ratings are so bad,
Ask TV Squad, where we answer a question submitted to Isabelle's column,
Picks for the upcoming week.

Running time is 42:33.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download it by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is from the fine folks at GrooveAddicts.com.

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:02:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free

I've recently become obsessed with Video On Demand, both through Netflix and through my cable company, so I'm excited that its future is being discussed at Fantastic Fest. I want more available now, please!
"Why TV is (sometimes) better than the movies:" Whaaaa? I mean, I totally agree, but this isn't something I expected to see on Cinematical.
OMG I want to see Zombieland so badly. It's like someone snuck into my brain and said, "Hey Kona, I want to make a movie exactly for you." I'm planning on seeing it this weekend, and I can only hope that it won't let me down. You can read Cinematical's Zombieland review here.
Everything I've heard about Mo'Nique's performance in Precious is that she is AMAZING. So the idea that she should be denied an Oscar nomination because she is reportedly skipping press events for the film is asinine. If she deserves it, she deserves it-- whether or not she wants to play the game.
I understand why Michael Moore is inviting jobless and homeless folks to a screening of his new film, Capitalism: A Love Story, but do they really need to sit in a theater for two hours and relive how the government and Wall Street screwed them?

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Ask TV Squad: We need your questions!

Isabelle Carreau — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:03:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Ask TV Squad, Reality-Free

Every now and then as I watch a show, questions such as these pop up in my mind: Where have I seen that actor before? Hasn't she already appeared on the show before as another character? What is that song playing in the background? Where has (insert character name) gone? And on and on.

I also have questions about current shows even when I'm not watching them: How many episodes will we get this season? When will the season premiere? Will (insert actor's name here) be back on the show? Which famous person will guest star? And so on. That's not counting the questions I have about upcoming storylines! Thank god for spoilers!

Of course, questions about series from the past also pop up: Why did (insert show here) end? Can I get answers for the unanswered storylines since the series was canceled without having a proper goodbye? Whatever happened to (insert actor's name) who played on (insert show's title)? And so on.

If you have questions about TV series and actors and want answers now, "Ask TV Squad" has the solution for you! Read on to learn how.

Continue reading Ask TV Squad: We need your questions!

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free

The $3.50 surcharge for 3-D movies is annoying enough. I absolutely do not need designer 3-D glasses.
Elisabeth Rappe talks about the dangerous allure of follwing celebrities on Twitter.
Jennifer's Body doesn't look great, but I so badly want it to be. I don't know why, but something about teenage horror movies really appeals to me. You can read Cinematical's review of Jennifer's Body and see what they think.
Food dropping from the sky just seems really gross to me, so I'm not sure how interested I am in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.
Luke Skywalker is a white-trash hero? Interesting.

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Don't forget! Join our live Emmy chat this Sunday night

Bob Sassone — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Awards, Emmys, Reality-Free

It's that time of year again when they give out those figurines that signify that you are the best at what you do on television (supposedly). We have a live blog every year, but this year we're doing something a little bit different, a live chat that everyone can participate in.

Join us at 7:45 PM ET on Sunday night at the live chat page here. We'll be using CoverItLive for the chat and if you go to that link you can sign up for an e-mail reminder before the chat starts. You'll be able to join in on the conversation with your thoughts and predictions and we'll have polls and news and links to AOL's coverage of the night. Hope to see you there!

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Right now on Cinematical

Kona Gallagher — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:08:00 EST

Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free

It sounds like the movie Whiteout is a prime example of pretty good source material getting made into a pretty crappy movie.
Fat Matt Damon! Check out the review for The Informant.
A Photoshop contest with Disney/Marvel hybrids? Brilliant.
"The queen of talking trailer trash and posing like a porn star." Give yourself a cookie if you guessed that the person being talked about is Megan Fox. Apparently the Transformers crew are not huge fans.
Apparently The Sorcerer's Apprentice has something to do with 9/11? I don't know, ask Nicolas Cage.

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