“Weeds” Season Finale Tonight

This season of “Weeds” went by so fast. Tonight is the finale:

When Nancy discovers what’s in store for Esteban… She does all that she can to protect herself and her family. Elsewhere, Andy decides it’s time for a significant change in his life. Dean, Doug, and Celia reach a truce of sorts. And Silas lends a hand to Adelita, who faces a troubling medical problem.

Update: The finale had three great parts: Adelita’s “medical problem,” Guillermo’s phone call and the ending which I doubt anyone saw coming. These might be the best script writers on television. Season-wise, Alanis Morisette was a huge bonus this season. I hope she’s back for Season Six. The only excess baggage is Doug and Celia’s ex-husband — same-old, same-old. The Celia-Raylene story line was much better. I wish we didn’t have to wait 6 months for what comes next.

“Which Way Home” Premieres Tonight on HBO

The documentary Which Way Home premieres on HBO tonight at 9pm ET. The film follows unaccompanied migrant children from Latin America as they endure harrowing conditions on a freight train to come to the U.S. to be with their parents.

Exploitation by smugglers. Dehydration in the desert. The danger of being struck by trains. These are just a few of the dangers facing thousands of children from Latin America who travel great distances on top of freight trains to get to the United States. This film looks at the personal side of immigration through the eyes of several of these unaccompanied migrant children as they embark on a treacherous journey aboard a freight train they call “The Beast.” Along the way, their stories of hope, courage, disappointment and sorrow are revealed as they endeavor to make it to the land of opportunity.

Continue reading

“30 Something” Returns on DVD

I’ve probably seen every episode of of all four years of “30 Something” — a show that aired when I was “30-something. ” It’s one of the reasons I like “Brother and Sisters” so much — Ken Olin is the director (and occasional cast member, playing Holly’s boyfriend from the 60’s who just so happens to be her daughter Rebecca’s father) while his wife in real life, Patricia Wettig (who played Timothy Busfield’s wife on “30 Something”) stars as Holly. It took me weeks to place Olin on Brothers and Sisters. He looks much older and heftier — while Wettig pretty much looks the same to me (as do Sally Fields and Calista Flockhart.)

Apparently, “30 Something” wasn’t a hit (you could have fooled me, especially since it had a four year run.) This Tuesday, for the first time, it’s going to be available on DVD, thanks to a company called Shout Factory. More here. Continue reading

Jesse Csincsak to MC “Kiss the Bluz Goodbye” Event in Denver

Former Bachelorette winner Jesse Csincsak will MC “Kiss the Bluz Goodbye” — cocktails with a cause –for the Dani Foundation for cancer research tomorrow night at Denver’s City Park Pavillion (2001 Steele St), from 6 to 10 pm. There will be live music by Keaton Simons and Jaden Carlson, a cocktail buffet and a silent auction. The Dani Foundation funds pediatric cancer research,particularly Ewing’s Sarcoma and the Ewing’s Family of Tumors, and provides support for kids and families, .

It’s a good cause and I bet Jesse will shine, so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop on by.

Jesse recently returned from Mt. Hood, OR where he spent the past few months coaching snowboarding. I spoke with him today and he’s got a lot of irons in the fire.

He’ll be hosting some of the Olympics coverage on TV in Vancouver (details available soon.) On September 12, he’s hosting an event in his hometown of Lorrain, Ohio featuring other Bachelorette contestants from his season, to benefit his JSAK Foundation, that helps kids who want to be professional snowboarders. He’s also putting together a cruise trip from California to Mexico for a bunch of former Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants from assorted seasons.

As for his thoughts on this season and Jillian Harris and Ed Swiderski, he told me he spoke to Jillian today, she and Ed are in Canada at her parents’ home and very happy. She’s not reading a thing on the internet about the Ed rumors and is determined to stay out of the LA media glare.

And here’s a little news: Jesse reports ABC is considering a new format for a Bachelor/Bachelorette show that would put past contestants of both sexes together in a house. He’s been asked to take part but nothing’s final yet. Stay tuned for more details.

Tom DeLay Joins Dancing With the Stars

Too funny. The cast for the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars was announced today. Making the cut: Former Congressman Tom DeLay.

DWTS will feature its first politician — former Congressman Tom DeLay— on the season's Sept. 21 (8 ET/PT) premiere. DeLay, 62, served as House Majority leader until he was forced to step down following a 2005 Texas grand jury indictment on money laundering charges. Known as “the Hammer” for his dealing with political opponents, the polarizing Republican's legal woes remain unresolved.

“I really am a big fan of the show,” says DeLay, an open supporter of Sara Evans when the country singer competed in Season 3. “I couldn't believe they asked me to do this. It didn't take me five minutes to agree. I've been working out like crazy.”

I wonder if Rod Blagojevich applied. Continue reading

Chima Simone Kicked Off “Big Brother”

chima-lydia-bb11300

Update: Here’s the scoop according to Jokers Update which follows and transcribes much of the live feeds:

Chima broke numerous BB rules: racist comments, non-compliance with production and destruction of BB property, for starters. Spoiler Alert: After Jeff won the coup d’etat power and Jesse who was voted out, Michelle became the new HoH and put Chima and Natalie up for eviction, at which point Chima freaked out & became the evil houseguest. She refused to wear her microphone (“I’m not mike-ing up” a la Cindy Anthony, lol) and threw her whole mike-pack into the hot tub (a big BB no-no to mess with your mike, supposedly $4000 to replace!). And she kept cussing out the BB production team, screaming & yelling and flipping off the cameras. She’d also made numerous racial slurs about Russell, said he was an “extremist Muslim terrorist,” that “Russ is a terrorist and I am the Twin Towers” and that Americans hate Middle-Easterners so he’ll never win. Russell happens to be Catholic and Lebanese (Danny Thomas was Lebanese & I was very young when his show was on but I don’t recall him being a terrorist, lol). Chima had also stolen Russell’s rosary, which was later found in her belongings after she was expelled by exec producer Allison Grodner, who had to go over to the BB house at 2am because of Chima’s behavior. Apparently Grodner still tried to keep Chima in the house but Chima kept screaming at Grodner, and that was the end for Chima.

Earlier post with CBS’s Statement below: Continue reading

Paula Abdul Announces American Idol Departure on Twitter

Are publicists being upstaged by their clients? Paula Abdul used Twitter tonight to break the news she is not returning to American Idol. From her Twitter account

With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all..Cont’d…:

Even Ryan Seacrest found out through Twitter and his blackberry:

about to go to sleep when I started seeing my blackberry blow up. I have read what u have read and I am shocked and saddened about paula

I really could care less about Paula leaving or Kara DioGuardi returning. The only judge with anything interesting to say in my view is Simon Cowell. Randy Jackson and Kara are more like furniture, they lack star quality and Kara’s personality is more than a tad grating to many.

That said, Paula was very popular and part of the show’s success. Unlike Kara and Randy, she has the glitz and the showmanship the show needs. And she and Simon had a good ying/yang chemistry. It seems to me American Idol wanted Paula out and they knew exactly what buttons to push to get her to make it her decision. It can’t be about money since Ryan Seacrest just got a hefty pay raise and Simon makes a fortune. We’ll see how big a blunder, if any, AI and Fox made when the show resumes.