Posted Nov 9th 2009 1:35PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, Vs.
The only things I know about umami comes from those Kikkoman commecials, the ones that talk about umami being the fifth taste (after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). Last night's
Next Iron Chef was all about that, and they even had Iron Chef Morimoto as a judge.
What did you think? The show is down to its final three contestants. Can you picture one of them standing next to other Iron Chefs like Morimoto, Flay, Cora, Batali, and Symon in Kitchen Stadium?
Posted Jul 6th 2009 11:03AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Vs., Music and Variety, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Webisodes
I remember long ago in a cable land far away when a little show called
Talk Soup started. It was clever, riffing on talk show shenanigans. We've come a long way since then, with clip shows blanketing the network. And then there's the Internet. On paper the idea of a web video iteration of
The Soup, as it's now called, sounds solid enough, and G4 is a good place for it, but as Michael pointed out,
Web Soup just isn't working.
Even though G4 is the place for techie stuff and they handle web videos already,
Web Soup still manages to feel outdated and stodgy. And Chris Hardwick, while funny when he fills in on
Attack of the Show, is almost mind-numbingly
not funny hosting
Web Soup. But Chris Hardwick and the gang were not alone in exploring web videos on our TVs. Comedy Central threw comedian Daniel Tosh into the mix with the webbily titled
Tosh.0. But which one, if either, is better?
Continue reading Tosh.0 vs. Web Soup
Posted May 5th 2009 3:08PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, The Apprentice, Vs., TV Squad Polls, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities
If you are a fan of
The Celebrity Apprentice, you should have watched Sunday's two-hour episode by now and know that Joan Rivers and Annie Duke will face off in the ultimate task.
On April 23, I asked TV Squad readers to vote in an
Annie Vs Joan poll. The question was simple "Who should win the war?" At the time I write this line, 43.3% voted for Joan, 35.4% said Annie, while 21.1% opted for Trump to fire them both. That means 21.1% of you are disappointed this week, as Trump decided to make Joan and Annie the two finalists.
No matter if you like or hate Annie and/or Joan, you have to admit that out of the four contestants that were left at the beginning of the episode, those two will offer the most entertaining finale. Now that we know it's officially Joan Vs. Annie, who do you think should be hired?
Continue reading Who should win the Celebrity Apprentice?
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 12:50PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, The Apprentice, Vs., TV Squad Polls, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities
This season of
The Celebrity Apprentice may not have
Piers and Omarosa to spice things up. However, poker player Annie Duke and comedienne Joan Rivers are a close second.
In the first episodes of the season, we didn't see much of the rivalry between the two ladies but the past two or three episodes have shown them as enemies. The two of them have done and said pretty harsh things about the other. The war between the two is still ongoing so before one of them is fired, it's time we take a few minutes and make our predictions as to who will win the war: Annie or Joan?
Continue reading Celebrity Apprentice: Annie Vs. Joan
Posted Mar 24th 2009 10:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: The Amazing Race, Survivor, Vs.
It might seem crazy to suggest that either one of CBS's two long-running reality series doesn't work, but I'm sticking to my convictions.
Survivor has lost the edge it had when it started, and it's no longer a show that works for me.
On the other hand,
The Amazing Race continues to set the industry bar high for quality reality (assuming you don't think that's an oxymoron). So, stacking them up, one versus the other, here's how
The Amazing Race tops
Survivor.
Continue reading Amazing Race vs. Survivor: Why one works and the other doesn't
Posted Mar 15th 2009 9:02AM by Eliot Glazer
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Video, Vs., Reality-Free
Should
Blossom be considered classic sitcom? Mmmprobably not. But to many a 20-something, the
NBC sitcom was an unlikely success that, through a blend of irreverence and quirkiness, lasted five seasons and proved culturally resonant in its approach to covering "realistic topics" relevant to teenagers of the nineties.
Continue reading Blossom's Boys - Joey vs. Tony - VIDEO
Posted Feb 23rd 2009 12:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Vs., Awards, Reality-Free
It was the best of Oscar it was the worst of Oscar. It wasn't the best show I've ever seen, but was it the worst Oscars ever as one friend emailed me? I think there were features that worked and features that tanked. There could have been more star power -- where were Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Jim Carrey, Sandra Bullock, Christian Bale, Tyler Perry (he had the biggest box office opening last week!), etc.? Forget about stars from the '70s...
Anyway, I had predicted that
the Oscars would stink. Well, I was wrong, or half-wrong. Separate from whether you agreed with the winners -- I did by and large -- or you didn't, what about the broadcast? I think if you had seen all the nominees (or at least the Best Picture noms), you probably had a rooting interest and were amused by most of the show. However, the other half was pretty bad. After the jump, what worked versus what did not.
Continue reading Oscars 2009: What worked vs. what didn't
Posted Jan 29th 2009 2:02PM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: OpEd, Vs., Psych, Reality-Free, Burn Notice
Two of my favorite summer shows,
Psych and
Burn Notice, have something in common. Well, two things. First of all, they are finally back for the second half of their current seasons on the USA Network. The other is that the main characters have an obnoxious parent.
Shawn's dad in
Psych, Henry Spencer (played with personality and perfection by Corbin Bersen), is tough on Shawn, yet has a tender side. Michael's mom in
Burn Notice, Madeline Westen (played with obnoxious delight by Sharon Gless), is rough around the edges but loves her son like crazy.
They are fun to watch, sometimes a little bit annoying, but always entertaining. So who comes out on top as leading obnoxious parent? Who's the biggest embarrassment to their child? Read on ...
Continue reading Shawn's dad in Psych vs. Michael's mom in Burn Notice
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 10:02AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV on DVD, OpEd, Video, Vs., Reality-Free
Even before I caught
Twilight on the big screen, I was comparing it to
Roswell, the great teen sci-fi/romance series that aired on The WB (and later
The CW UPN) from 1999-2002. The
Twilight ads and trailers seemed to tell the same story
Roswell told
more than nine years ago: A sensitive girl is saved by a supernatural hunk who makes it his mission to protect her at all costs. The two fall in love, but the relationship is complicated by his other-worldly circumstances.
It's not exactly the most original story in the world. This sort of thing goes back to Bram Stoker's
Dracula, (and probably further back than that). Still, after watching
Twilight, I was a bit shocked by its similarities to
Roswell, especially since
Roswell wasn't half as popular as
Twilight. I haven't read the
Twilight or
Roswell book series, so I can't tell you if the similarities persist in print (but my friend
Stephanie can). I can only compare the big screen and TV versions.
From major plot points to character motivations, these two franchises have a lot in common, but one clearly stands above the other. Let's compare, and you'll see what I mean:
Continue reading Twilight Vs. Roswell: Are aliens more romantic than vampires? - VIDEO
Posted Sep 3rd 2008 3:02PM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Vs., Super Skank Wednesday
Welcome to
Super Skank Wednesday. This is where I celebrate the awesomely skanky people on the following shows:
I Love Money,
Charm School,
New York Goes to Hollywood, and
The Surreal Life. Basically, I'll discuss the skankalicious shows that make
VH1 the network it is today.
I was left rather disappointed with
I Love Money this week. Another one of my "Fantasy
I Love Money" picks went home leaving me with a whopping 140 points. And I was planning on writing a big tribute to Megan's demise but NO! She's still there.
I was so annoyed with
ILM that I started watching
New York Goes to Hollywood again. The show still reeks of artifice with New York going to a nail salon to study Japanese culture or thinking "break a leg" means that the person wants to do her physical harm. However, by the fourth episode, Sister Patterson has entered the scene and is saving the show with her outright rudeness and over-the-top behavior.
So I decided to pit the two women I love to hate against each other for a Vs. piece. This Super Skank Wednesday I give you:
Megan Hausermann Vs. Sister Patterson, The Battle of the Hateful Shrews.
Continue reading Super Skank Wednesday: Megan Hausermann Vs. Sister Patterson - VIDEO
Posted May 19th 2008 10:32AM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: OpEd, Vs., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reaper, Reality-Free
I've confessed before -- or should I say shouted from the rooftops -- that I am a
Joss Whedon fan.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my all-time favorite shows and I still mourn its loss (the comic books just don't give me my
Buffy fix).
This season, I was hopeful when
Reaper arrived on the scene. It seemed to have some of the same elements that I liked about
Buffy: demon lore, a Scooby gang, a story arc, and a lighthearted, humorous side to a subject that could be very dark.
So how does
Reaper measure up to
Buffy? When I actually did the breakdown, I was pleasantly surprised. A very interesting outcome, indeed....
Continue reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs. Reaper
Posted Apr 24th 2008 2:01PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Vs., TV Squad Polls, Watercooler Talk, Big Brother (US)
I've been an avid fan of
Big Brother since it first premiered on CBS. I watched all seasons but one so far (I was away for one summer with no access to a TV) and started reading up on the
live feeds last summer. One of the things I like to do when watching is trying to predict who'll be evicted next. So even if Jackie put a "Who will have the jury votes to win
Big Brother 9?" in her review of
Wednesday's episode, I decided to chime in and give my two cents about both players and make my own prediction. Is my vote the same as yours? Read on!
Continue reading Big Brother face off: Adam vs. Ryan
Posted Apr 21st 2008 8:03PM by Erin Martell
Filed under: OpEd, Lost, Vs., Reality-Free
"Welcome to the war." Ben Linus utters those words to John Locke in one of ABC's Lost promos, gun in hand. Since day one, Ben claimed that the freighter folks were going to kill everyone on the island. The show's three-hour finale is only a few weeks away. What do these last episodes of the season hold for the island residents? Can they hold their own against Widmore's team of scientists and thugs? Spoiler Warning: Some details from promos, interviews, and podcasts are mentioned.
Continue reading Lost: The freighties vs. the island dwellers
Posted Mar 24th 2008 4:42PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: The Apprentice, Video, Vs., Celebrities
This coming Thursday, NBC's
The Celebrity Apprentice will come to an end. Either the arrogant Brit or the American Cowboy will hear the words "You're hired."
In an unsurprising move,
Donald Trump decided in last week's episode to have
Piers Morgan and
Trace Adkins face off during the final task. This decision goes against that of CNBC's Erin Burnett and Jim Cramer, brought on to interview the Top 4 contestants, but The Donald knew better than to have
Carol Alt and Trace as the final two contestants. Both are really good contestants and played a clean game but, let's admit it, a live finale with Carol and Trace is not as promising as a Piers and Trace one ratings-wise.
Continue reading The Apprentice: Piers Vs. Trace - VIDEO
Posted Feb 15th 2008 2:41PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Vs.
It's not too surprising when similar shows or movies suddenly appear at the same time, seemingly without one party knowing that the other project was even in the works. In fact, in the pilot for NBC's
Lipstick Jungle -- which looks like ABC's
Cashmere Mafia's twin sister -- the Brooke Shields character is a movie executive who learns that her company, which has been developing a Galileo biography for Leonardo DiCaprio, is competing with a rival studio that's also making a movie about the famous astronomer. In other words, these things happen all the time in show business! That's the case on cable TV now with not one, but two shows about a professional matchmaker.
The shows A&E's
Confessions of a Matchmaker and Bravo's
Millionaire Matchmaker couldn't be more dissimilar in style. They're like different sides of the same coin: heads you're schmoozing in a hot tub with a Malibu millionaire, tails you're riding a Zamboni with a guy who works at a suburban ice-skating rink. That's how diametrically different these matchmaking yentas are! Aside from their passionate desire to make matches that work, the only other factor linking the
Confessions' matchmaker to
Millionaire's is that they share the same name, Patti!
Continue reading Confessions vs. Millionaires (Matchmakers, that is)
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