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Mike Holtzclaw
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Last week, regarding the impending season finale of “Survivor: South Pacific,” I noted that it was Coach’s game to lose. And sure enough, on Sunday night he lost it. Two possibilities here: Either I misread the jury from the start, or Coach blew it at the final tribal council. Either... Continue reading
Posted Dec 19, 2011 at The Daily Pop
With “Survivor: South Pacific” headed into Sunday’s three-hour season finale, I had planned to use this space to lay odds on each remaining contestant’s chance of winning. But that seems rather dull at this point. Inexplicably, Coach’s allies – Albert, Sophie, Brandon and Cowboy Rick – have allowed him to... Continue reading
Posted Dec 15, 2011 at The Daily Pop
Bil Keane died on Tuesday, and the news filled me with such an odd mix of emotions. Keane, who had just turned 89, was the creator/author/artist of "The Family Circus," a single-panel comic strip that I dutifully have read on a daily basis for probably 40 years in spite of... Continue reading
Posted Nov 9, 2011 at The Daily Pop
Throughout the early part of “Survivor: South Pacific,” I had been thinking – with tremendous surprise – that Coach Benjamin Wade was outplaying and out-thinking Ozzy Lusth in the showdown of returning stars. It’s not that Coach has been brilliant (as Boston Rob Mariano was in winning last season), but... Continue reading
Posted Oct 27, 2011 at The Daily Pop
Quick notes on the first two episodes of "Survivor: South Pacific"" For the previous season, which introduced “Redemption Island,” the producers brought back two of the game’s greatest strategists – Boston Rob Mariano and Russell Hantz – and the move was completely justified by an outstanding season, with Rob playing... Continue reading
Posted Sep 22, 2011 at The Daily Pop
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“Franklin & Bash” is a new TNT series about two immature, smug brats who practice the law (or their version of it) when they are not busy partying, riffing on the pop culture and congratulating themselves for being so much smarter and cooler than everyone else they encounter. Mark-Paul Gosselaar... Continue reading
Posted May 19, 2011 at The Daily Pop
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Quick reaction to last night's "Survivor" finale: * Clearly, the right person won. Boston Rob Mariano got eight of the nine votes. He dominated this season from start to finish and, as host Jeff Probst suggested during the reunion show, he may have played the most perfect game in the... Continue reading
Posted May 16, 2011 at The Daily Pop
As “Survivor” careens toward Sunday night’s finale, let’s start with two observations right up front: Boston Rob Mariano has played one of the best games in the 22-season history of the show to this point, and the new twist of “Redemption Island” has worked very well. Let’s look at those... Continue reading
Posted May 13, 2011 at The Daily Pop
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Antonio Charity will appear on the Fox police procedural "Bones" on Thursday night, the first of three prominent TV appearances for the actor from Surry County. In this week's "Bones," he plays a port security guard. Next week he will be in Monday's episode of NBC's "The Event," with one... Continue reading
Posted May 11, 2011 at The Daily Pop
Sunday night marks the return of "In Plain Sight" (starting its fourth season on USA) and the return of Mary Shannon, one of the best lead characters on any hourlong police procedural. And get this: She's gonna be pregnant. Mary McCormack, the 42-year-old actress, is expecting her third child and... Continue reading
Posted Apr 26, 2011 at The Daily Pop
As the first season of “Harry’s Law” drew to a close on Monday night, various supporting characters had paired off into couples – but we’re still assessing the depth of the love affair between viewers and the show. The show is definitely good, and it has been one of NBC’s... Continue reading
Posted Apr 5, 2011 at The Daily Pop
Russell Hantz is out of "Survivor: Redemption Island," courtesy of a backstabbing tribe and a tough loss to young buck Matt in last night's "redemption challenge." And his departure will go down as one of the most memorable moment's in the history of the hit show. In two previous appearances... Continue reading
Posted Mar 10, 2011 at The Daily Pop
Thoughts on Oscar night: THE ANNE AND JAMES SHOW: Anne Hathaway and James Franco didn’t work as co-hosts. Hathaway was fresh and seemed to be having a good time, but Franco looked ill at ease the whole time. Is it just me, or did he seem to be squinting constantly,... Continue reading
Posted Feb 28, 2011 at The Daily Pop
The season premiere of “Survivor: Redemption Island” continued the new trend of implosions and meltdowns at the first tribal council. It started last season in “Survivor: Nicaragua.” In the first episode the Espada tribe went to council, and as the voting was about to commence, Wendy suddenly called for everything... Continue reading
Posted Feb 17, 2011 at The Daily Pop
“Criminal Minds” has been cloned. Starting next Wednesday, “Criminal Minds” (9 p.m., CBS) will be followed at 10 p.m. by “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior,” a mid-season spinoff that will feature a different cast but will still be set in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Va. It’s an interesting... Continue reading
Posted Feb 10, 2011 at The Daily Pop
As a dedicated “Survivor” fan, I was of two minds when I heard the recent announcement that Russell Hantz and Rob Mariano would be returning as contestants for the upcoming “Survivor: Redemption Island” season, which starts Feb. 16. On the one hand, I like both of them. Russell is one... Continue reading
Posted Jan 28, 2011 at The Daily Pop
No Christopher Nolan? Really? That was my immediate reaction to this morning’s announcement of the Academy Award nominations. In general, I try to sit out the instantaneous listing of “snubs,” but in this instance, I found myself truly stunned to see the Best Director category bypassing Nolan’s work on “Inception.”... Continue reading
Posted Jan 25, 2011 at The Daily Pop
The Academy Award nominations come out on Tuesday morning, and they come on the heels of a surprising turn of events over the weekend that throws a wrinkle into this year’s developing “Oscar Buzz.” “The King’s Speech” earned the top honor at the Producers’ Guild of America (PGA) Awards on... Continue reading
Posted Jan 24, 2011 at The Daily Pop
As a new season of “American Idol” prepares to begin, I brace myself for what lies ahead. I am not a fan, for a variety of reasons. I watch only intermittently, but I understand why it is so popular. It will be interesting this season to see if “Idol” avoids... Continue reading
Posted Jan 18, 2011 at The Daily Pop
A quick thought on movie preview trailers … On Sunday, I went to the Naro Expanded Cinema to see “The King’s Speech.” If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? It’s a lovely film with some outstanding performances – Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham-Carter … Really,... Continue reading
Posted Jan 11, 2011 at The Daily Pop
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Seven years after “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” completed its run as one of the most wonderfully quirky shows ever on American television, a new show on Syfy looks like it might be able to capture some of the vibe that made “Buffy” so charming and watchable. “Being Human” – an... Continue reading
Posted Jan 7, 2011 at The Daily Pop
Don’t ask me which one was “better.” I won’t play that game. Suffice it to say that both versions of “True Grit” – the one with John Wayne in 1969, and the new one by the Coen brothers – are very fine, lively films, and anyone who loves the cinema... Continue reading
Posted Jan 1, 2011 at The Daily Pop
The kid did it. Judd "Fabio" Birza, 21, became the youngest winner in the history of "Survivor" last night. (I'm proud to say that I had been predicting it from the early stages of the season, thank you very much.) To get there, he had to win two more immunity... Continue reading
Posted Dec 20, 2010 at The Daily Pop
In most seasons of “Survivor” – tell me if you disagree – the next-to-last episode of the season is the most eventful and exciting. That’s the episode when the show moves into “endgame” mode, when alliances are cut loose and the players begin crafting their checkmate gambits. Last night’s episode... Continue reading
Posted Dec 16, 2010 at The Daily Pop
God bless Jamie Moyer and his left arm. Moyer, a 48-year-old starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, has announced that he will undergo ligament replacement surgery on his elbow (in baseball, it’s known as the “Tommy John Surgery”) that will force him to miss the entire 2011 season. But he... Continue reading
Posted Dec 2, 2010 at The Daily Pop