Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 20 - December 26

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 20 -December 26. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Hawaii 5-0 is in the Top Ten this week, which would seem to make it the only new show to become a hit from the fall  TV season.

RankShow name
Network
Viewers in millions
Season-to-date average(in millions)
1.NCIS
CBS
12.3
20.1
2.The OT
Fox
11.9
12.3
3.60 Minutes Presents
CBS
11.5
11.5
4.NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS
11.3
16.6
5.Two and a Half Men
CBS
9.2
15.0
6.Sing Off 12/20
NBC
8.6
--
7.Undercover Boss
CBS
8.4
--
8.The Mentalist
CBS
8.0
15.7
9.The Big Bang Theory
CBS
7.9
14.1
10.Hawaii Five
CBS
7.7
13.4
11.Football Night Pt. 3
NBC
7.4
11.2
*Mike & Molly
CBS
7.4
12.1
13.The Mentalist
CBS
7.3
--
14.CSI
CBS
7.0
14.4
*Minute To Win It
NBC
7.0
7.3
16.Criminal Minds
CBS
6.9
15.1
17.CSI: Miami
CBS
6.8
--
18.Soy Tu Duena Mon
UNI
6.7
6.0
*Soy Tu Duena Wed
UNI
6.7
6.1
*The Good Wife
CBS
6.7
12.8

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Maksim Chmerkovskiy In The Ukraine On The Bachelor Wondering If Mark Ballas & Derek Hough Will Be On The American The Bachelor

You are looking at picture of Dancing with the Stars Maksim Chmerkovskiy soon after his arrival in the Ukraine, on November 26.

Has Maks defected back to his homeland?

No.

Maks is back in his old homeland to try and find a wife by being on a Ukrainian TV network's Ukrainian version of ABC's The Bachelor.

I learned of this on Maks' blog where he defended himself regarding rumors that he'd refused to be on the American version of The Bachelor because he can't stand American women.

Maks has had some lovelife woes in his search for a wife. He claims to be real shy, with his time taken up by his dance career. For awhile Maks was engaged to fellow dancer Karina Smirnoff. He seemed real happy about it. But then they split. And now Karina is engaged again. While Maks hunts for Ukrainian love.

I think Maks would be very amusing on the American The Bachelor.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette has had a one way relationship with Dancing with the Stars, with Bachelorettes Trista Rehn Sutter and Melissa Rycroft dancing, along with everyone's most despised Bachelor, Jake Pavelka.

It seems only fair that one or two of the Dancing with the Stars stars should be on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.

If Karina Smirnoff most recent engagement goes awry, she'd make a good Bachelorette.

Wouldn't Derek Hough or Mark Ballas be amusing Bachelors? Those boys in the Fantasy Suites? Now that would be some entertaining TV viewing.

I wonder if the Ukrainian version of The Bachelor will have Maks in 3 different Fantasy Suites? He's such a shy guy, I'm sure this would make him very nervous.

In the video below you'll see Maks upon his arrival in the Ukraine and hear him speaking Russian. Or is it Ukrainian............?

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Real Housewives of Atlanta: NeNe's Pregnant & Going To Be A Grandma

A couple weeks ago we learned that after Kim Zolciak's Big Poppa went bankrupt Kim moved on to a new Sugar Daddy, well, Sugar Baby, 25 year old Atlanta Falcon Footballer Kroy Biermann.

On this week's Real Housewives of Atlanta episode Kim had not yet had her way with her Sugar Baby, verbalizing to the other Housewives her concern that Kroy might not measure up to her measurement requirements.

At some point in time after this week's RHOA episode Kim did have her way with her new Sugar Baby and managed to get a baby cooking in her oven.

Not long after we learned that Kim was in the Family Way we learned that NeNe Leakes' neer-do-well son Bryson got his girlfriend pregnant. Of course, NeNe flipped out upon hearing the incoming baby news. NeNe is insisting on a paternity test.

Bryson still lives at home, still does not have a steady job. Bryson is still seeing the Baby Mama.

So, poor ol' long suffering NeNe, worrying she was going to have another baby in the house, courtesy of Bryson, then learned that she also has a baby in the oven.

NeNe has not gotten divorced from Greg Leakes. According to gossiping insider sources, NeNe is 2 months pregnant. She believes the baby is Greg's. However, apparently NeNe followed Kim's example and did some baby-making activity with another NFL footballer by the name of Charles Grant.

I do not know if Bravo was in Real Housewives of Atlanta filming mode when all this baby drama was going on. I hope so.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 13 - December 19

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 13 -December 19. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

RankShow name
Network
Viewers in millions
Season-to-date average
(in millions)
1.NFL: Patriots/Packers
NBC
24.2
21.6
2.NCIS
CBS
19.9
20.8
3.60 Minutes
CBS
18.7
14.6
4.NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS
16.8
17.1
5.Two and a Half Men
CBS
13.9
15.2
6.Criminal Minds
CBS
13.8
15.5
7.Survivor:Nicaragua Finale
CBS
13.6
--
8.The Big Bang Theory
CBS
13.2
14.4
9.Survivor: Nicaragua
CBS
12.3
13.4
10.Mike & Molly
CBS
12.0
12.4
11.The Good Wife
CBS
11.8
13.3
12.Football Night Pt. 3
NBC
11.7
11.5
13.Survivor: Nicaragua Reunion
CBS
11.2
--
14.Biggest Loser
NBC
11.1
8.2
15.Hawaii Five
CBS
10.9
13.6
16.$#*! My Dad Says
CBS
10.3
11.0
*The Defenders
CBS
10.3
11.5
18.The Mentalist
CBS
10.1
16.0
19.How I Met Your Mother
CBS
9.7
9.7
20.Rules of Engagement
CBS
9.6
9.0

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Survivor Nicaragua: Fabio, Chase, Holly, Dan or Sash Win the Million Dollars

Tonight marks the end of the 21st iteration of Survivor, with Survivor Nicaragua coming to its predictably bloated 3 hour finale.

For me this has been the least enjoyable season of Survivor yet. Maybe it's worn out its welcome. Maybe Survivor needs to find some place new to survive other that a tropical beach. They all look the same after seeing so many.

Tonight it's down to Sash, Chase, Holly, Dan or Jud Fabio. I think we can eliminate Dan or Sash as possible winners. If Fabio makes it to the Final 3 I'm guessing he will win.

Survivor needs to do some re-imagining of how the bloated first 2 hours play out. It is too predictable. The first hour we'll have an Immunity Challenge where someone will be voted out of the tribe and on to the jury.

Then we will see the remaining 4, well, actually I won't, because my finger will be on the fast forward button, but those who don't hit that button will see the Final 4 laboriously pick up the torches of their fallen tribe mates, muttering solemn funeral dirges as we see flashbacks of those who died.

Then the Final 4 will burn the pile of torches before heading to their final Immunity Challenge. More often than not some sort of endurance challenge, with the last man or woman standing guaranteed to be one of the Final 3. Lately it has been a Final 3 on Survivor. Maybe tonight it will revert back to a Final 2. I doubt it.

The Final 3 or 2 will then make their case to the jury as to why they should win the million bucks.

Throughout these proceedings Jeff Probst will be very solemn, due to the seriousness of the serious jury proceedings. One be one the jury members get to ask questions of the Final 3 or 2. This seldom is as entertaining as one hopes it will be.

Maybe there will be some lingering Jane bitterness that will be amusing. Or maybe NaOnka will outdo herself with another big display of cluelessness.

There just was not much of a plot to this season of Survivor. No really good villains. No characters as ridiculous as Coach. NaOnka is a pretty good nutjob, but not really, for me, all that entertaining.

So, Fabio for the win if he makes it to the end. But, I really don't care who wins.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Top Chef All Stars: Dale Levitski & Stephen Asprinio Out While Dale Talde Wins

I'm thinking if Top Chef All Stars keeps up being as good as it is being, that Top Chef will be winning its second Emmy in a row as Best Reality TV Show.

The latest episode was titled, "New York's Finest." This was not a reference to the police, but to New York's finest restaurants.

Which, apparently, are chef David Burke's Townhouse, David Chang's Ma Peche, Wylie Dufresne's wd-50 and Michael White's Marea.

The episode started with a Quickfire Challenge, judged, by, I think David Chang. Divided into 4 teams, the chefs had to properly prepare 4 ingredients, then cook them into something tasty. The winners got $5,000 each.

I forget who was on the team that won, but it was not Angelo's team, his was among the two that Chang liked least, which embarrassed Angelo, due to the fact that his team completed the preparation challenge first, had a big lead, and were the only team with enough time to cook the lamb.

For the Elimination Challenge the same teams visited New York's 4 Finest Restaurants. Were served those restaurant's food. And then had to make up a dish that fit in with that restaurant's chef's style.

I wanted to eat at each of those restaurants.

Angelo got on Tiffany's nerves with his constant analysis while they were tasting the food. That was pretty funny. Did Angelo get on Tiffany's nerves during their season together and we just did not get to see it?

Padma, Tom and the rest of the judges dropped in on the 4 restaurants to sample what the chefs had come up with. The owner of that restaurant decided what he liked least and best.

In the end, standing before Judges' Table at the bottom were Tiffani Faison, Dale Levitski, Fabio Viviani and Stephen Asprinio.

I find Stephen really funny to watch, due to him being such an odd pretentious little duck. I like Dale due to his comments, but, when I see him, I always think he needs a good scrubbing with an astringent soap and something to keep his eyes from watering.

But it was not Stephen being an odd little duck or Dale's watery eyes that got them told to pack their knives and get out of there. It was their food. Dale combined french toast with peanuts and popcorn and veal. Stephen's was just an all around mess.

For the winners, the way the commenting was going I thought it was going to be Angelo Sosa's 3rd win in a row, but instead the win went to the formerly angry, Dale Talde. Who is very happy when he wins. He even smiled. For winning, he won a trip to, I think it was New Zealand. I'm fairly certain it was not New England.

Along with Dale and Angelo, also at the top were Richard Blais and Antonio Lofaso.

I am liking Richard Blais this time around. He has a way of growing on you, I guess. That and he just seems way more natural than the somewhat forced way he acted during his initial Top Chef season. The other chef that I'm finding I like a lot more this time around in Marcel Vigneron. He still has this cocky way about him, but it seems to be mixed with a humble aspect that was not there before. And he is funny.

I'm liking Casey Thompson a lot too. I liked her on her season too. And then there was that unfortunate sous vide, or whatever you call it, suggestion she made to Carla, that messed Carla up in the finals of Carla's season.

Casey's restaurant is in my neighborhood. I could walk over and say howdy, if I had the energy, and she was available to be howdied.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 6 - December 12

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 6 -December 12. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

The finale of the Amazing Race, with Nat & Kat winning was in the Top 10. Hawaii 5-0 is in the Top 20 again. Does this now indicate Hawaii 5-0 is the only hit of the new TV season?

RankShow name
Network
Viewers in millions
Season-to-date average(in millions)
1.NFL: Jets/Patriots
NBC
25.7
21.4
2.NFL Pre-Game
NBC
17.7
15.9
3.60 Minutes
CBS
17.6
14.2
4.Criminal Minds
CBS
14.2
15.6
5.The Mentalist
CBS
13.4
16.5
*Two and a Half Men
CBS
13.4
15.3
7.Barbara Walters Special
ABC
13.3
--
8.CSI
CBS
13.2
15.3
9.Barbara Walters Presents
ABC
12.2
--
10.Amazing Race
CBS
12.1
11.8
*Survivor: Nicaragua
CBS
12.1
13.3
12.The Big Bang Theory
CBS
12.0
14.4
13.Football Night Pt. 3
NBC
11.9
11.4
14.NCIS
CBS
11.8
20.9
15.Desperate Housewives
ABC
11.6
12.9
16.Glee
Fox
11.1
12.9
*Modern Family
ABC
11.1
13.9
*Undercover Boss
CBS
11.1
12.6
19.Mike & Molly
CBS
11.0
12.4
20.Hawaii Five-O
CBS
10.5
13.8
*The Defenders
CBS
10.5
11.6