Grid Effect

Every network and every drama, comedy, reality series (short of American Idol), documentary, etc. Bows tio the awesome ratings power that is March Madness. So what does that entail? Another week with no Friday Night Lights, no Survivor and an extended rerun of The Office (Meaning its an episode with twenty-two minutes of recycled footage and twenty-two minutes of new material). So, while I have been meaning to take in The Riches, as it sits ever so patiently on my DVR, I just haven’t gotten around to it. With that said, here are some mid-week links…

Everyone can relax, ESPN will be broadcasting the Rock, Paper, Scissors League Championship this year. Probably during a large, mainstream sporting event that is being hosted by another network. The tournament executives have referred to the ESPN broadcast as “a real validation”. Clearly they never watched Playmakers.

All signs point to 30 Rock and Firday Night Lights returning for a second season. I am just undersold that Peter Berg is going to forego the possibility of becoming a noteworthy film director. On the other hand, What About Brian? and Brothers and Sisters appear to be in their last days. I am sure ABC will replace their crappy melodramas with crappy reality series. This was the most satisfying entertainment article I have read in a while.

Gambling web sites are taking odds on whether or not Heather Mills’ prosthetic leg will fall off during her stint on Dancing With The Stars. One leg and all, Is anyone really rooting for her? I know in Britain they’re not, but in this country she’ll probably be seen as an “underdog”, because entirely too many Americans take this show seriously.

Not that this comes as a surprise to anyone, we all have eyes, but apparently black males are not getting lead acting roles on network dramas. Not that David Simon would ever cheapen The Wire in this manner, but I would actually (and happily) watch a spinoff featuring Carver, Bunk, Freamon, Daniels, Avon Barksdale or Omar. Again, it will never happen, but I would gladly watch it.

And finally, the most notable television website on these here intranets, Television Without Pity, was bought out by NBC earlier this week. For those unfamiliar with the site, they recap numerous dramatic and reality series’ and provide heavily trafficked forums for devoted fans to engage in heavily moderated discourse. I haven’t posted on the website since they sent me a “warning” for a fairly lighthearted query about Kenny Shea on Rescue Me. I refuse to acknowledge this something worthy of a reprimand, so if anything I occasionally read posts over there, but not much else. Some good news out of the merger, they will begin recapping The Wire, which one of the TWoP founders (goes by the name of Glark, no idea who he/she is) has apologized for not already doing so:

“I’m PERSONALLY APOLOGIZING to all Wire fans right here right now because we’ve watched three and a half seasons of The Wire since Christmas and hot damn that is one smart good show.

Now we just have to find the poor sucker who’s going to have to recap that beast.”

Good times.